bits&pieces
by xxbe-dazzledxx
Summary: A collection of random Gruvia one-shots. Ratings may vary *wink (Accepts prompts) :) Chap 2: Basketball-Ballet AU
1. Hello Lover!

**A/N HI! FrenchSha here. I'm gonna make this a dumping ground of all Gruvia one-shots that plays on my head. Hope you guys support this!**

* * *

 **Hello Lover!**

* * *

Genre: Slice of Life, Highschool

The sky was all dark and gloomy as I tried to count the falling raindrops that rippled on the stocked water around my boots. I tightened my grip on the umbrella, oblivious of the linked hands passing before my reminiscing eyes. I wasn't Ms. Popular, nor was I a head-turner that makes all men jump off their chairs when they see me coming. In fact, I have nothing that should be proud of, envied of. Nothing that must be praised by anyone. I was the typical addition in the flock of the losers, outcasts, the nobodies. But what happened to me this summer was indeed, splendid.

* * *

The end of the school year was fast approaching. I was hoping that I could spend more time with my best friend, Lucy, since she has been very busy with her extracurricular activities. Student Council and Science Club President, major position in her other three organizations, a declaimer, singer, dancer and the class Valedictorian, a few words to define how remarkable she was.

"I can't just sit there and do nothing. I want adventure." She'd always tell me.

That's why I wasn't surprised when she told me she was going on a School-related Summer Camp.

"C'mon Juvia, you need to work those muscles. You can't just stay home."

"Sorry Luce but I have a lot in hand this break."

"By a lot you meant nothing?" she mocked, more of an insult.

But still, my decision was final. I was not going and nothing was going to make me.

"Gray's gonna be there."

My heart skipped a beat. Gray? Gray Fullbuster, the school's basketball captain? What was he going to do in a Science Summer Camp?

"S...So?!" I stuttered. "So what if he's gonna be in that camp? As if, I care." I rolled my eyes, emphasizing the last words.

Was I? Was I not really bothered? Did I really not care? It was the best chance to get close to him after all. But what if he did not feel the same way I did?

"No, Lucy. I'm not going and that's final." Then I stormed off, leaving a confused Lucy at the corridor.

Next thing I knew, I was staring at the same person I was thinking about the whole time, Gray-sama.

"So this summer, the Fiore Science Club Organization will hold their annual nation-wide summer Camp in Magnolia. We are here to..." His lovely voice faded gently in my ears as I look intently and straight at his stature as if nothing exists but him.

* * *

"Hey, so how are you?" I called my best friend up as I did every night since the first day of camping. I never asked her about Gray-sama, not wanting to give myself away but she kept on talking about him. I never gave her a hint of enthusiasm when it comes to things related to Gray-sama. Although, deep inside, I was secretly happy about it. What I really wanted to talk about was everything regarding Gray-sama.

"Juvia, if you were asking me then I'm fine. But if you were asking about Gray, well, he is enjoying himself, _a lot_."

"Yeah, right." I sarcastically replied.

I heard her chuckle. Afterwards, she excused herself and cut the line shortly. She could not talk to me the whole day because she was on camping. What was I thinking?

Then our routine went on the whole, almost a week, camping of theirs. And each day I grew to like the man she told me about, the man I thought only existed in books or movies.

"He's kind, sweet and a real gentleman. He even offered help to carry my luggage all the way to the girl's room." It must be hard for him since Lucy was the type of girl who always needed an extra everything.

One morning, to my surprise, I've read a newly sent message from an unregistered number.

"Good morning." It read.

I was so curious of who was it and where he got my number but before I could even think of texting him back, my phone rung.

"Are you up?" A thrilled Lucy greeted me.

"Yeah. Why?" Then she never stopped, never stopped talking about Gray-sama, never stopped babbling about the things he did for her, about the things I wish he did for me.

I must not be threatened for she was my best friend and she, above all, knew my true feelings even though how many times I denied it. But I must be alarmed that Lucy was a girl who suited him well. It was not hard to fall in love with the girl who was adored by everyone. What was I compared to Lucy? I was just a thorn on the rose's stem.

* * *

On the last day of camp, Lucy told me all her plans for the summer. I felt guilty on getting angry at my best friend. The jealousy was eating me up and I could not even answer her calls without rolling my eyes. But in the end, I decided that a real friend would be happy. So even if it was hard, I slowly gave up on Gray-sama.

"Life is unpredictable, Juvia. Even the impossible could happen."

What did she mean? And my curiosity was provoked when this mystery text mate sent another message.

"You can do anything as long as you believe. Good night." With a smiley at the end. Could Lucy just be playing with me? Was this just one of her dirty schemes to make fun of me?

I was in the middle of searching up her number to call her back when, suddenly, a message flashed on my phone. It was the same unregistered number again I named 'enemy'. (For whatever reason, don't ask why. I just felt like doing it.)

"By the way, this is Gray." Was I reading the text correctly or just hallucinating and imagining things here? I rubbed my eyes – once, twice, thrice.

My heart, I could feel it hammer against my chest. My jaw, I could feel it dropping down widely. My stomach, I could feel the butterflies flying around like crazy. My fingers were melting, my knees trembled. My phone loosened its way out of my hand but good thing I recovered immediately. And not another moment later, I begun scrolling down my contacts and called my best friend's number.

"Lucy! Oh my gosh!" I gasped after three consecutive ringing.

"You won't believe what just happened. Remember the stranger I was telling you about? The one who kept on texting me goodnights and a few quotes? It was him. It was him all along." I fervently informed her, not minding the silence over the other line.

"I can't believe it was Gray-sama. You were right about the things you've said about him. Luce, even if it was all just through text, I can still feel like he actually cared. Maybe you'll call me stupid or even corny but his words... it was over-whelming. Like, he knew what was going on with me." I paused for a while.

"Luce? Are you still there?" Then I heard a soft chuckle on the end of the line so I assumed she was still up.

"Anyway, Fine! You were right. I like him and I really do. But what am I compared to the other girls who craved for his attention. Maybe if he finds out about my true feelings, he would just laugh at me." I added with a tone of depression at the end of my speech.

"Do you think I should really tell him how much I like him?" She didn't answer but only responded a soft groan. It was almost eleven-thirty in the evening. I shouldn't be disturbing her but I could not help it. Something urged me to call Gray-sama or just even text him back. But something in me held back, maybe it was the logical side of me.

"Luce, I don't know but every time I'm depressed, his smile would easily wash all the sorrow away. It's his voice that I want to hear every now and then. His greetings and laughter, all enough to complete my day. Call me crazy but I think, I have fallen deeply in love with this man who I think doesn't even know my existence." Tragic.

And to my great surprise, it wasn't the voice I expected to hear. It was rather... masculine.

"W-who is... this?"

"Well, this is surely not Lucy." He giggled.

"But please don't hang up." As if he had guessed what I was about to do next. I tried to remember this voice. _He sounds familiar, awkwardly and creepily familiar._

"I think you should tell him about your feelings because I know he feels the same."

"And how can you say that?"

"It's because I know myself too well."

* * *

Suddenly, I felt a pair of warm hands cover my eyes.

"Guess who." He whispered.

I brushed off his hands and appeared before me was a six-foot tall man in a pair of jeans and hoodies. He turned to carry my books as he took the umbrella from my hands. And as his eyes landed on mine, I remembered it well, the first night we've spent talking over the phone until dawn, the very night I confessed my love for him.

This was the first time we've seen each other after that little incident but there was no summer night that passed that he failed to contact me.

And as we walk to our classrooms with a thousand pairs of glaring eyes to embarrass me, this memory continued to linger along with the incessant pouring of the rain. I came to realize one thing... This was going to be a long school-year.


	2. She's In Your Court

Summary: She lives in the world of grace, he breathes action. When both world meets, will it bring chaos or love?

 **FULL DISCLOSURE:** Premise borrowed from the movie "The Game Plan". Aside from the circumstances of how the main couple met, other similarities are purely incidental or will be pointed out in a disclaimer/disclosure whichever is appropriate. This fiction will go on as how the writer intended.

* * *

 **She's In Your Court 1**

* * *

 _It just takes a little bit of this_  
 _A little bit of that_  
 _It started with a kiss_  
 _Now we're up to bat_

 _-The Game of Love, Santana_

 _..._

"And he scores! He scores! Congratulations! Congratulations Fiore Knights." The announcer cheerfully and loudly announced after Gray Fullbuster, star player, took his final three-point shot for the win.

The entire team lifted up the young raven-haired, hero of the day. Confetti and balloons poured down the court like rain. Cameras flashed, memorializing Fiore Knights third championship win in three straight years.

"So Mr. Fullbuster, what's next for the team?" The newscaster interrupted their cheerful yelling.

His teammates put Gray next to the newscaster.

"Well…"

"Well, we are still going to talk about it." Briar, the team's manager, cut in.

"Let's go Gray." She whispered.

"Sorry we have to go. But remember, from this day forward, the Fiore Knights will always be on top." Pointing his point finger up, winking his famous wink. This elicited a cheerful scream from the female fans who gone into frenzy when the buzzer roared.

"Isn't he just cute when he does that? Ladies and gentlemen for the third time, The Fiore Knights have won the Earthland National Basketball Championship. And now they are heading International and our star player, Gray Fullbuster, shall be the King again. He is not just good and passionate, he is just so cute. And this Lucy Heartfilia, reporting for Earthland Sports."

* * *

"Then up and down, now twist and twist and bow. Okay, that's all for today. Goodbye kids." Juvia Lockser waved goodbye to her students.

"Wow, that was amazing."

"Hi mom!"

Juvia kissed the woman on her cheek after she took the towel from her. Mrs. Lockser towered over the ballet teacher with finesse and elegance written all over the older woman. She also handed her a paper.

"What's this?"

As Juvia took a closer look at the flyer, confusion and then surprise registered on her sweating face.

" _Oh my gosh!_ The Marius Petipa School of Ballet is having an audition for Don Quixote?"

Both women knew what the audition really meant. The world of Ballet had already been buzzing and word was that the prestigious school for ballet was looking for their next prodigy. Juvia had set her eyes on it.

"Yes."

"I guess this is it Ma. This is my chance." Juvia was beaming, overly excited about the possibilities.

"It is three months away from now. That means you have to dedicate yourself in practicing because _practice–_ "

"– _makes_ perfect." The two women ended in unison. The frequency of the times these words were said made it easy for Juvia to remember.

"I know Ma. That's why I'm going to spend more time here in the studio. I promise Ma, I'm gonna get this audition and I will be the one to fulfill your dreams."

Olivia Lockser, once groomed to become world's first Asian Prima Ballerina, enveloped her daughter in a loving embrace.

"With your unmeasured passion in ballet my daughter, you already have fulfilled my dreams. And when you decided to teach ballet to those children, you made me even prouder. I always wanted to share my talent to others and you made that possible."

Words failed her so Juvia returned the embrace and gave her mother a heart-warming smile.

* * *

The champagne was popped. The celebration continued in Gray's newly bought bachelor pad in one of Fiore's high towers.

"For the many trophies we'll gonna own."

"YES!"

Briar poured the 2009 Chateau Pavie on the top of the champagne flute pyramid as she spoke. The glorious white fluid filled each glass in a continuous flow and each took drink in their hands then after.

"For the many more years we'll gonna win!" The sultry team manager raised her glass. Everybody did the same, shouting a chorus of agreement, and the bass of Serebro's Mi Mi Mi chorus boomed on every corner of the expensive loft.

"Hey man, how did you do it? I mean there was just ten seconds left in the clock and you still shot three points man, three points." Loke, Fiore Knight's point guard, put his arm across the host's shoulders and asked over the loud music.

"Well…It's the Gray-magic." Gray flashed a proud smirk to tease his teammate.

"C'mon! Rub me some of that magic." The two engaged in a playful tackle when the golden-haired point guard tried to literally rub himself against Gray.

"Ahmmm.. Gray I have something to tell you." Briar went over and cut in.

"Sure, what?"

"Alone." She hesitantly smiled.

Briar pulled her star player and led him to the balcony to escape the noise of the party.

"So?"

Gray still had a smile on his face. Probably still the afterglow of this year's championship win while Briar looked a little bit tensed.

"Well, your mom called." She started. "She's going to Oak Town tomorrow so…" The team manager was hesitant but Gray urged her on. "So, she says she has to leave something to you."

"What?" Hearing that the call came from his mother, Gray grew irritated.

"That, she didn't say."

* * *

"Who dares disturb my sleep?" Gray groggily stomped over his bedroom door and pressed in his password.

"Access Denied" A mechanical voice declared.

"What the!" He tried to enter the password, this time with great force.

"Request Granted." Then the door opened side-wards.

He stepped out his room and went straight to the loft's main door. He looked at the small screen at the side to see who it was.

"A little girl?" He was puzzled.

"Maybe she's lost or just another… fan." He chuckled, thinking how famous he had become lately and set in the command to open the door.

His smile dropped quickly when he saw the person with the little girl.

"Mom?!"

"Here, take care of your little sister while I'm gone."

Her mother shoved in a single, pink luggage inside the great room, patted his cheek and kissed it before she came out in a hurry. Mika Mine disappeared behind the elevator doors, leaving Gray confused. He didn't notice the little girl standing next to him with a teddy bear safe in her arms until she pulled his hand. She flashed him an innocent smile that reached both ears while Gray wondered _what did he ever do to upset the gods?_

* * *

"She is not my sister!" Gray passed the ball to Loke with unnecessary force.

"Well, she is your mom's daughter." The man replied, looking for a clear shot when another player blocked him.

"Here! I'm free!" Natsu easily received the pass then dribbled his way near the net. He did an easy lay-up that earned his team two points.

"I don't care! She is a Mine and I'm a Fullbuster! That's different so she's not my sister!" Gray blocked the opposing player handling the ball. He might have shoved him a little too.

"Though you have different last names, you still can't erase the fact that you both came out from one woman." Explained the team's power forward, Gajeel Redfox, as he stole the ball from his opponent and went for an outside shot.

"I know. But she, she doesn't even look like me. So no! She's not my sister." Came Gray's final resolve when their trainer passed him the ball to start the new round.

"Why do you really hate that girl? I mean… She is a little girl and they usually have cute features." Laxus Dreyar asked.

Gray weaved his way to the net, avoiding the opposing team's players.

"Cute?! Man, have you seen her face? We are so different man!"

"Do you really think you're that cute?" Briar interrupted. She signaled some men to bring in the snacks for the entire team and point to the table at the side of the court. Gray called for time-out. He shook his head and fell behind when his teammates ran over to the team manager and ransacked the inside of the plastic bags.

Briar approached the star player, not making an effort to hide her favoritism, and dabbed his sweaty face with a towel.

"And you said you don't play favorites." Loke scoffed playfully.

"Shut up!" She threw the towel to the mocker's face and earned a loud laugh from her team.

"Hello everybody!" A cute, angelic voice echoed in the entire arena.

* * *

"So what do you think?" Juvia bit her lower lip after asking the million dollar question to her partner, Vijeeter Ecor – a young, poised lad hailing from the country's dance capital.

"I would say it's good but it needs more." He replied. His accent made 'would' sound like wood and 'more' like 'moo'.

Juvia had showed him her choreography for the incoming big audition. She stood in front of the big mirror and did a triple pirouette. Performed en dedans, the bluentte turned inward toward the supporting leg while her partner bobbled his head as he surveyed the dance.

Vijee, as Juvia would call him, tested the routine for himself before joining his partner for the duet.

"One hand down, then raise it up slowly, two dehors, then bow." They did it on the tune of Don Quixote's.

"Good morning Teacher Juvia." The students greeted her enthusiastically. They turned to the stranger with confused looks but acknowledged him anyway. "Good morning, Mister!"

"Hi kids."

* * *

"Whoa, this is your sister?" Natsu, aware of the fact that Gray hated that word, rolled 'sister' on his tongue with taunting as he walked closer to the little girl holding her teddy bear.

"Hello little girl. What's your name?" Loke followed in behind.

"My name is Madison, Madison Mine. But you can call me Maddy." She answered in a cute and innocent manner that rubbed Gray the wrong way.

Gray shook his head in disbelief when his grown-up teammates _ooohed_ and _aaahed_ at the little girl like a bunch of schoolgirls.

"She is so adorable." Gajeel put his arms around Maddy and squeezed the poor girl in an excited embrace.

"Hey! Why are you here?" The irritated star player walked over to the group.

"I thought big brother would like to eat some homemade salad. I made it myself." She pulled out a Frozen-themed Tupperware with Elsa's face on the cover and offered it to Gray.

"Isn't that sweet, big brother?" Natsu, always the one who loved to piss of his captain, batted his eyelashes multiple times.

Gray took the treat with suspicion in his eyes.

"I wish I had a little sister like her." Gajeel pretended to sniff and cry.

Gray never took his eyes off Elsa, cautiously holding it as if she was going to pop out of her place and come to life.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing. Just a little something for big brother."

Gray, finally succumbing to his curiosity, took off the lid and a delicious aroma bombarded his sense of smell. He took a spoonful of the salad and not a minute later felt an irritation in his throat. He coughed hard, almost choking.

"What did you put in it?" Briar rushed over the circle, panicking.

"The usual. Macaroni, all purpose cream, condensed milk, mushrooms…"

"Mushrooms?! He is allergic to mushrooms."

"Here, have some water." Laxus ran over their piled gym bags and returned with a bottle already opened for Gray. He emptied it in one gallop and felt a little appeased.

"Sorry, I didn't know." Maddy apologized.

* * *

"Kids, this is your Sir Vijeeter Ecor, he is a Magnolian danseur." Juvia introduced.

"Hello!" He bowed.

"Teacher! Teacher!" A little girl waved her hand hastily to get her teacher's attention.

"Yes, Krisha?"

"Is he your boyfriend?"

The rest of the girls chorused an _oooh_ that made the young ballet teacher blush. She composed herself before answering a casual no.

* * *

After taking the anti-allergies prescribed by the team doctor, Fiore Knights resumed their practice.

"Ahmmm… Big brother, are you still mad at me?" Maddy asked him while he did his run-in-place exercise.

Gray ignored her.

"Ahmmm… Would you want me to make you another salad? Promise, no more mushrooms." She raised her right hand, her act of pledge, and blinked innocently.

"Ajkdsajdksmfdjhds" he mumbled.

"I don't understand, big brother." She leaned in closer to him to listen carefully.

"A saith a thon care!" He yelled, messing up the line 'I said I don't care' because of his swelling tongue. He abandoned the team exercise and walked over to the treadmill.

"Why do you like doing this, big brother?" She trailed behind, annoying the hell out of him.

"Whath?"

"This very sweaty and yucky activity." She said in disgust.

"Because it's needed in my training." He answered offhandedly, starting a jog on the mill and breaking into a run.

"Then why do you have to undergo training?"

"Because practice makes perfect!"

"But they said there is no such thing as perfect."

"It's not really perfect but just…" Gray had been told of the old tales of how children can become really annoying asking questions after questions. So before he walked into an unending interrogation from the brat, he ended it. "Can you stop bothering me?"

"But…"

"Okay, just say anything you want for you to stop _bothering_ me."

"Anything?" Maddy smiled playfully, giving a hint of a hidden agenda.

"Yes! Anything."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Basketball and Ballet AU! A little ambitious for a person who doesn't know anything about basketball or ballet at all? Hahaha. Well, it's a multi chap so there you go. Do not forget to leave some reviews or you'll break my heart.

PS Thank you for those people who pointed out the similarities of the story depicted above and the said movie. This is a little old fiction and wasn't written with Gruvia in mind. However, I recognize my mistake of not naming the movie as the parent for this fic since as mentioned in the disclosure the circumstances of how they met, the background of the story and its characters are relatively similar to those of said movie. Therefore, I deeply apologize and will keep that in mind when posting future chapters.


	3. She's In Your Court 2

Summary: She lives in the world of grace, he breathes action. When both worlds meet, will it bring chaos or love?

 **FULL DISCLOSURE:** Premise borrowed from the movie _"The Game Plan"_. Aside from the circumstances of how the main couple met, other similarities and elements in this fiction are purely incidental or will be pointed out in a disclaimer/disclosure whichever is appropriate. This fiction will go on as how the writer intended.

A/N Before you guys chew my arse out I put it up there. Full disclosure. :)

* * *

 **She's In Your Court 2**

* * *

 _Head down,_  
 _Swaying to my own sound_  
 _Flashes in my face now_  
 _All I know is everybody loves me_  
 _Everybody loves me_

 _\- Everybody Loves Me, One Republic_

...

"Ahmmm… excuse me. May I know if…"

A shrill scream startled Gray and his younger sister. Maybe broke their ear-drums too.

"You're Gray Fullbuster! You're from Fiore Knights!" An old man wearing a blue and white uniform acknowledged the basketball champion's star player, excitement written all over his wrinkled face.

"Can I have your autograph? I am your biggest fan!" He enthusiastically added as he felt for a pen in his uniform pockets and, not finding one, ended up handing a black permanent marker to the athlete-celebrity. Gray waited for the old man, who offered him his name as Rob, to give him a paper, photo, or anything to write on.

"Where should I sign?"

Old Rob thought deep before his eyes grew wide when an idea hit him.

Whether the idea was a good or a bad one?

"Uh-huh! I got it! Wait!" he unbuttoned his top uniform and opened it wide enough to show his bare chest.

"Here! Because you are always here in my heart." Old Rob broke into a wide grin as he tapped two fingers on his left chest.

That was debatable.

"Uncle Rob, what happened? We heard a scream. Is everything all right?" The twin doors flung open and spit out a graceful bluenette who Gray thought maybe around her forties.

"I'm sorry Ma'am! It's just… we don't really receive a lot of celebrities around here."

The old man gestured to his guest who answered with a polite smile and offered the woman a hand. Mrs. Lockser shook it and gave him a once-over, taking in Gray's black bull cap and Rayban. Definitely a celebrity go-to if they wanted to roam around the city undetected. She flashed him a welcoming smile despite the awkwardness of not knowing the man with the apparent celebrity status.

"You must forgive me. I definitely have seen your face before…" Mrs. Lockser trailed off, searching her memory of the familiar face when Gray did her a favor and took off his undercover cap and shades. The boy even rumpled his raven hair in an attempt to jog her memory. He was, after all, famous for his unkempt, boyish look. Sensing her failure on the recall, Uncle Rob moved behind the star player and discreetly pointed the elegant bluenette to her right. To a billboard with a picture of the boy's familiar face and half of his bare body printed on it. He was holding a plastic bottle of a recognized energy drink. So he was an endorser Mrs. Lockser did not recognize. Couldn't blame her. Olivia wasn't good with celebrity names. Especially, those who did not go around her circle.

"I'm Gray _Fullbus–_ "

"– _He_ is the famous basketball player who won three basketball championships for Fiore! Now they are heading for the big leagues. Not easy but this guy here…"

"Uncle Rob?" Olivia interrupted the old man's recap, knowing he could talk endlessly about the topic. "I know you're a passionate basketball fan but I don't think that's the reason why mister…" She ended with a question, not really knowing what to call the guy.

"Gray Fullbuster." The raven-haired offered.

"Yes, Mr. Fullbuster. I'm sure you have another reason to visit a ballet school. Are you perhaps here to… enroll?" She paused before finishing her sentence, not sure herself if she should even think it's plausible.

Gray, alarmed, waved his hands in front of him, hiding the redness that tainted his cheeks.

"No. Not me but my sister." He presented Maddy who was hiding behind him. The graceful woman offered her a bright smile and a little wave. The little girl returned the wave, albeit shyly.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."

"Oh. Well, that's because I didn't offer it. I apologize. I am Mrs. Olivia Lockser and our family manages and owns this studio. We offer Classical, Neoclassical and Contemporary Ballet. We only give our students one-hundred and one percent of what they deserve."

Gray was in awe. This woman sure did know how to sell a talk. And the way she spoke and carried herself, the star player knew she wasn't just some middle-aged lady. She looked and sounded like one of those women he met in parties who hailed from the country's wealthiest families. Women with pedigree.

"Are you the one teaching the class?"

"Oh no, no, no, no." She chuckled. "My daughter does, not me. My arthritis might strike when I do that." And they all laughed at Mrs. Lockser's attempt of a joke.

"If you want to apply your sister, just inquire inside. I would love to escort you but I have some prior engagement. My daughter will be the one to accommodate you then."

"Is she as pretty as you, Ma'am?"

The flattery made the woman giggle and the question think, apparent when she brushed her chin with a thumb and a finger. A playful thought shone on her eyes. Something that Gray caught on.

"Why don't you just find it out for yourself?"

With the way she said it, she was definitely onto something. She gave him another once-over, more appreciative this time (checking him out), and redirected her attention to the small figure clinging on his leg. She crouched, putting both hands on her knee, and leveled her eyes with the little girl

"I'll see you around?"

Maddy nodded.

"I have to go. See you around Mr. Fullbuster and good luck with the game."

Mrs. Lockser rose and walked her way to her car parked right in front of their studio building. After she lowered her window and waved a goodbye, she hit the road with a knowing smile.

Uncle Rob opened the door for them. A soft classical tune welcomed Gray and the little girl who trailed behind him. He noticed immediately the elegant flight of stairs, a Victorian era survivor, which led to the second floor. He roamed his eyes around the baronial room which was large enough to hold big and important events. And with the classical design embedded in each corner, it might have been used for that purpose.

"Second floor, then the door to your left." Uncle Rob, the mansion-turned-studio day-security, instructed. He apologized for not being able to take them in himself.

Gray put on his polite cap and thanked the nice, old man. He made sure the latter was out of ear-shot and spoke. "Well I hope this is worth the freaking drive." Then both started for the stairs. The classical tune grew louder but still soft to the ears. He could also now make out a muffled voice. It led them to the double doors with windows that afforded the tall one a peek inside. A group of little ballerinas on their tip toes and cute, pink tutus occupied the right side while, who he assumed might be the guardians stayed on the left. He let out an exasperated sigh and turned to the little girl beside him, who he refused to call his sister, with a bored look.

"Yes. This better be worth it."

The large room buzzed when Gray Fullbuster pushed the door open. The women residing the waiting area stood to their feet and rushed to him like hungry piranhas sighting a meat-drop in the tank. True enough; a young, very delicious meat had dropped on them.

Juvia, who was staring at her reflection at the wide-range mirror, turned to the door after hearing a long and heart-melting ' _Ohs'_. She was taken-aback, recognizing the man who just walked in on her class. Then, arched a brow because someone just disrupted her class, much to her chagrin.

Gray immediately regretted abandoning his undercover get-up. The women from the waiting area pooled around him, seizing every chance they get to touch him. Even if he was familiar with this kind of scene, the Fiore Knight's star player still felt awkward because most of these women were old enough to be his mother. A picture of Mrs. Mine flashed at the back of his mind and made him cringe. But being used to attention and with the money the team management spent on public relations, Gray Fullbuster definitely knew how to work this crowd. His million dollar smile that scored him hundreds of advertisement deals and magazine covers never left his face as the women feasted on him.

Juvia fixed her eyes to the man, ignoring the soft flutters in her stomach. She tried to call the attention of her students but their eyes, too, were trained to the new guy. So she walked over to the hungry piranhas and broke the gathering.

"Hi, excuse me. Is there anything I can help you with?" She sounded rude but formal.

Her disinterest confused the basketball star. Usually, he'd get breasts brushing against him. His eyes fell on the pair the bluenette had. _Not bad._ Or he wouldn't mind the playful butt-slaps or cop-a-feels his fans would chance up to. _He was a generous guy._ But not what he was getting from this woman which was nothing at all. She wasn't only distant but also detached.

"Well, I'm here to enroll my sister to your… ah class."

Juvia turned to the girl who was peeking behind the tall guy. Gray immediately noticed the change in her expression. Her lips curved into a smile, a warm and welcoming one. One not directed to him however. But he finally realized who the offending woman shared an uncanny resemblance with.

The ballet teacher called out to her assistant who looked as if she was stuck in a daydream. She snapped her fingers in front of the young, pink-haired girl once or twice and finally pulled her back to reality. She clasped Maddy's little hand inside hers and pulled her towards the reception desk.

"Mary, please tend to our guest."

Gray, feeling insulted to be referred as just _'guest'_ , stopped her by the shoulders. "Wait, do you know who I am?" Really, she could have said star player, world's basketball god, king of the ring, the hottie (as so claimed by magazines), or even just Mr. Fullbuster.

"Yes."

His confidence level rocketed up.

"You're the guy from the billboard."

 _Good heavens forgive this woman for her ignorance._

* * *

"She's okay."

After a few rounds of practice, the gang decided to rest at the bleachers while the trainees take over the court.

Pearls of sweat trailed down from their foreheads to their necks. The dream-team, composing of this year's national basketball champions, dried themselves with cottony towels and cooled their bodies off with the sponsored energy drink. They interrogated their team captain when Maddy came to the gym yesterday and announced animatedly how exciting her day was at the ballet school. Even going over and over again on how nice and pretty her ballet teacher was.

"Not your type?" Laxus asked.

"It's not that. It's just–"

"–exactly his type." Natsu interrupted. "C'mon man, I know you too well."

"She doesn't know what she needs to know." Reflecting back on how the woman in question called her _'guest'_ and _'that guy from the billboard'_.

"What do you mean?" Curious, Natsu leaned closer to Gray which annoyed the latter. "So she's stupid?"

"She's not stupid."

"Then what?"

It was hard for Gray to explain. Mostly because he knew these guys would just laugh at his face when he admitted to the truth.

"She called me the guy from that billboard."

And boy was he right. His team mates did not just laugh at his face. They _rolled around, smacked the floor, and broadcasted it to the whole gym_ laugh at his face.

"Waitwaitwait." Natsu, his best friend and the one who got to his nerves the most, struggled to even his breathing. "So you're telling us you're mad because she doesn't know you?" Gray waited for the punch line in that joke.

"He's mad because he's not the famous and irresistible Gray Fullbuster he thought he was." Loke wrapped it up with that, finding it super amusing to add insult to the captain's ego injury.

"Then I'll introduce myself in a way she will never forget."

* * *

"Are you sure you want to bring me to my rehearsals big brother? You know you really don't have to."

Maddy was fixing her hair in front of Gray's vanity mirror while the man he was talking to leisurely sat at the posh sofa, reading a magazine with him on the front cover. He told his sister that he would bring her to the studio, even staying to watch.

"Of course I'd love to."

He replaced 'Men's Health' on the table, stretched out his arms and curled them at the back of his head.

"I don't have anything today. Besides I'm sure I'm gonna enjoy keeping you company." He added, flashing his famous wink at the end.

Although it was a total lie, Gray was just excited about teaching the ballet teacher a lesson. The picture of a certain bluenette looking furiously frustrated painted a wide grin on his face.

* * *

" _Oh my gosh_ , he's here again."

Juvia did not know if she was glad about the instant fame her studio was now enjoying. The Lockser Academy of Royal Ballet was only frequented by mothers sending their children in and had nothing better to do for the day or nannies paid to stick around. That day, the bluenette was greeting faces she had never seen in her life.

The ballet teacher wanted to apologize for the way she acted the day before. Her temper would always get the best of her and interrupting her class with his presence drove her up the wall. Juvia decided it wasn't really Gray's fault after collecting herself. So when she took the short trip from her house to the studio, imagine her surprise when she got blocked by a crowd of Fiore Knight fans.

Gray, ever the crowd-charmer, waved to his fans like the celebrity that he was. He let them take some photos with him and even awarded them with his famous wink. He glanced up the studio door where he saw the young bluenette tapping her left foot and repeatedly checking her watch. _Good._ He thought. The Fiore Knight star player waved his fans goodbye on the streets and made his way to where Juvia was, taking his sweet time. Which, he noted, added another crease on her forehead. _Right on track._

Even if her patience was running empty, Juvia didn't let it show when she approached Maddy. She told her to go with the kids in her class who she met the day before and stayed behind. Gray was just about to ascend the stairs but her words halted him.

"We start classes at seven, Mr. Fullbuster. Not seven-thirty."

Gray's ears pricked when he heard his name.

"So it knows my name."

The woman ignored his comment and walked past him. He might have checked out her ass. He might have also appreciated it.

* * *

Juvia tried hard not to burst on the reason why she started her class late. She hated delays and the unwelcomed guest currently wandering around her studio seemed to be full of it. Sometimes, he would ask her about the paintings on the walls while she was in the middle of giving out instructions. He would also interrupt her with his loud thinking and apologized for it afterwards. The bluenette had the feeling he wasn't sorry at all.

Gray's rambunctious actions would spike her irritation to a new level. She would catch him charming the ladies at the waiting area and would not even make an effort to stifle the giggle for her students' sake. His boisterous laughter and reactions ruined the kids' concentration.

During break, she walked over to him.

"If you're staying, will you at least take it down?"

"What?"

"Your voice. It's distracting."

Gray lowered his voice – husky, teasing. "My voice distracts you?"

"Your loud voice distracts everyone."

Sometime that afternoon, her intruder caused a stir when he started handing out free Dunkin Donuts. The kids easily abandoned their lessons to get a hand on those tasty treats. Juvia shook her head. She adored her students, really, but they are just so gullible. This unscheduled break ate up another hour so when she decided she had enough, the displeased woman confronted the intruder.

"Why are you even here? Men are not supposed to stay over."

"What? I can't watch my little sister practice? She said she wanted to do ballet so I went with her for support. Is that a problem?"

The approval Gray earned from their audience boosted his confidence, obvious with the way he towered over Juvia. But she wouldn't believe a word of it. He was, after all, a trained-charmer.

"What?"

"I don't buy it."

"Why are you so against me? Oh, I get it. It's your way to get my attention. Don't worry babe." He leaned over Juvia and dropped an octave. "You got my full attention now."

Juvia stiffened. She became highly aware of the thinning distance between them. If Gray noticed it too, he didn't let it show. Instead, he continued his steps, doing what he proved to be good at – invading her personal space. Juvia did not like it. He was close, so close that she could see the small scar peeking beneath his unruly bangs. And his eyes, his dark, piercing eyes were trained at her, boring through her. She watched his gaze fall on her lips then his tongue seductively run over his own. Juvia wondered how they tasted.

"What's happening?"

The bluenette jumped back, surprised. She took a few more steps back, eager to put space in between them. Gray first saw the reflection of the interrupter on the wide range mirror mounted on the wall. He easily recognized the personification of classic elegance. The walking testament of the expression _'like mother, like daughter'_ – Olivia Lockser.

"So I've seen you met my daughter."

Gray was not sure if it was just him or there was another meaning to Mrs. Lockser's words. But the velvety smoothness laced in her voice and the way she lifted the corner of her lips made it sound like there was.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Again I wanna thank those people who pointed out the similarities of this fic and the movie "The Game Plan". I realized my mistake for not putting it up there myself not because I wanted to take full credit of this storyline but just because it honestly skipped my mind. Like the movie totally skipped my mind. But it's all there out now.

Thank you very much too for leaving reviews and getting excited with this short. Please don't break my heart and keep on following and reviewing this fic. I love you guys! Muah.

Also, letting you guys know that I'm totally considering the country-themed Gruvia. ;)


	4. Wedding Blues

A/N Just a short one. Hihihi. So, okay yes I'm feeling a little bit down lately. And my Gruvia feels suffered because of that. So, I'm wokring on She's In Your Court next chapter. Please look forward for that.

* * *

 **Wedding Blues** and It's Not Even Juvia's

* * *

"This is not happening. This is really not happening."

Juvia dumped the Chinese take-out on top of the swamp of books occupying the table and dropped her weight on the couch like a hot potato. She let the comfy futon swallow her and her distress.

"Manners." Gray pushed both her feet off his coffee table after clearing his throat. He then picked up an old-looking, thick book littered on the table.

"This is not happening to Juvia." She said dejectedly, eyes looking straight at nothingness.

"First it's Erza-san. Then Mira-san. Even Levy got into the trap. And now, Lucy?" She turned to the serious study-bug slouched beside her on the couch and pulled him by his arm to face her. "Marriage is taking away everyone from Juvia!"

For the first time that day, or the entire days of hell/exams week for that matter, laws and constitutions did not stare Gray in the face. Instead, he was looking at blue, alarmed eyes. Half-heartbroken, half-distressed for losing another girlfriend to marriage. It was cute, actually. How she overly worried about trivial things. Some guys might fall for it. Abandon the task at hand and cuddle the cute little dramatic to appease her. But not Gray. The raven-haired was used to all of Juvia's charms by now. He clicked his tongue and pulled his arm back to his side and returned to his Torts book.

"So, Gray-sama knew before-hand."

"A man will not make such a decision without asking his best friends, will he?"

Juvia opened her mouth and closed it again. She realized it was a question that needed not to be answered.

The week before Natsu's wedding proposal, he gathered the boys to their favorite pub and treated them for a drink. That's when he told them all about his plan to marry his long-term girlfriend, Lucy Heartfilia. Of course, they were all happy for him. It was a new step for the couple. And their three brothers, who already succumbed to the appeal of marriage and their lovely wives, were more than happy to share their great ideas on popping the question.

"Everybody is getting hitched and Juvia is nowhere near an actual, romantic relationship." Juvia sunk deeper on the couch, mulling over her dooming fate. "There's no one interested in Juvia."

The lack of response from Gray brought her up to her feet. She paced the law student's floor like an anxious dad waiting for her daughter to come home from Prom.

"Juvia, sit down. You're making me feel dizzy."

"Why doesn't this concern Gray-sama? Juvia is already twenty-six! And no one seems interested in Juvia. Almost everybody in our group is getting married. And Gray-sama is not getting any younger. Gray-sama doesn't even have a girlfriend."

She ignored Gray's warnings and continued.

"But it's not a problem from Gray-sama." Gray knew where it was going. "Girls are falling in line to get his attention. You can probably just pick out one from the line." When she caught Gray's dissatisfied frown, Juvia sat back to the couch and apologized. They had this kind of conversation too many times and it always ended up with Juvia letting her insecurities eat her up.

"Juvia knows it doesn't work that way." Her ungraceful panic subsided a little. "But still… Juvia hasn't even…" She trailed off, not really that comfortable to talk to the raven-haired about the lack of fun in her bedroom. Her cheeks started to burn.

"Why are you so red?"

"What?" Juvia covered her cheeks with her hands. She looked away from Gray immediately, knowing how good he was in interrogating people. Plus, she did not want her eyes to give her away.

"Don't worry, if you're thirty and still single, I'll marry you." Gray made it sound so casual that Juvia thought he was promising to get her a new shirt if she ruined the cute one she was wearing.

"Gray-sama must not joke about these things." Juvia had to calm the storm Gray's careless words started in her. But it just got worse when he leaned over her, dark eyes boring through her.

"Why? Does Juvia not see me as a man?"

"Eh? G-G-Gray-sama, has the studying messed up your head?"

The twenty-six year old virgin stuttered. She tried to back up when her back hit the armrest. There was no more room to move and she was trapped between Gray's muscular arms. Her thoughts became clouded with the way his lean body rested over hers.

"Are you scared to die a virgin?" He was close.

"J-J-Juvia never said that." Too close.

"If you're that scared, then should I just claim you?"

Words failed Juvia. It was already winter and the room was fully air-conditioned but it felt like she was basking under the summer sun and the warmth, whether it was Gray's or her own, radiated through-out her body. Juvia's eyes shut instinctively as she anticipated the kiss.

The kiss that never happened. When she opened her eyes, Gray was back at his side of the couch.

"Get lost woman. I'm trying to study."

* * *

Don't break my heart and leave reviews! :)


	5. He's Not My Dad!

A/N I just can't keep this out of my head. So idea came to mind when my teacher told us how her daughter behaves when her dad is back from the sea (his job). They're not close so she's shy around him and also very possessive of her mother. Hahaha. Even pushes his hand away when he tries to be sweet around the mom. lol. So here... imagine a Gruvia tsun and obsessed son. :)

* * *

 **He's Not My Dad!**

* * *

His small but toned arms struggled to push the full-grown lady out of his bedroom. He managed to shove her out but she kept forcing herself in, pushing his door inwards. And damn was she strong.

"I told you, mom. I can change by myself."

"But Storm-chan is only seven."

One of the strongest women in the guild, in-fact.

Juvia's seven-year old son changed his strategy. He set his back against the door, bent his legs to gain momentum and pushed his entire body with all his might.

"I'm a man!"

He grunted after hearing his mother's soft chuckle at his announcement.

"Alright. Mommy will leave now." Juvia gave up in the end. "But please, Storm-chan, wear clothes this time."

Storm's seven-year-old body slammed against the door when his mother stopped fighting him with it. He heaved a loud sigh of relief when he heard his mother's footsteps fading downstairs. But the scowl on his face seemed permanent.

"Of course, I'll wear clothes. I'm not like that old man."

"Storm? Pants."

Storm screamed in mortification after realizing he wasn't wearing the trousers he put on earlier. He searched the guild frantically for his missing pants and put it on as soon as he found it. His obasan – Mirajane Strauss, who called him out for his lack of clothing, smiled at the similarities he shared with one particular ice-mage.

The little sighs and little swoons coming from the girls' table caught the little boy's attention.

"He is one of the best mages of his time."

"Ah! He is such an amazing man."

Finally, Storm gave in to his curiosity and walked over to them.

"I want to marry a man just like Gray-jisan!"

Storm's little ears perked up when he heard that name. He scoffed at Gray's Sorcerer Weekly cover, which the girls took an offense to.

"Hey!" The three girls cried in unison, giving the offensive boy a dirty look.

"You girls like that kind of man?"

Storm maintained a cool look.

"How pitiful."

The pretty little girls jumped out of their skin. They hovered over the raven-haired boy, sporting a murderous aura.

"What did you say?"

Storm felt his hair rise. He took a few steps back, putting some distance between him and Gray's crazy fan girls.

"W-w-w-wait."

His cute little bum bumped against the nearest table. He placed both his hands in front of him, ready to use the magic he learned from his mother when push comes to shove. He shut his eyes and summoned his magic power. But death didn't come for him.

"Storm, your shirt."

"EEHP!"

Somehow, he lost his butterfly printed tee along the way.

He found it discarded on the floor, picked it up and hurriedly slipped in it. The trio returned to their seats and continued flipping the page with hearts in their eyes like nothing happened.

"But, isn't Gray-jisan your dad?"

"He's not my dad!" Storm Fullbuster turned tomato denying the man on the magazine cover.

The three pairs of eyes bounced their eyes between the photo on the magazine and the breathing form in front of them. Wondering why Storm was even trying to oppose the idea when he was actually the spitting image of the man in the photo.

"Besides, aren't you too young to read something like that?"

The oldest of the trio, the one with the long scarlet hair braided in one long tail, spoke.

"Mother said it's not too early to learn how to read." Eru crossed her arms against her chest, abandoning the plan to hurt Storm for a moment to lecture him.

"Reading is useless."

"Did you say something?"

"EEHP!"

Storm felt cold, eerie wind slap the back of his neck. He didn't need to turn around to see his Erza-basan wrapped in her infamous dark aura. But still, he did.

"N-n-nothing seventh."

Erza smiled at him, laughing inwardly for scaring the hell out of the little boy.

 _Just like his dad._ She thought.

She patted his head in an affectionate manner, trying to make him more comfortable with her presence. The Seventh Guild Master, remembering the reason she approached the bunch, handed him the sealed document.

"Will you bring this to your house for me?"

Storm stared at the letter for a moment, eyeing it at every angle as if doing so would show him the contents. Erza wagged a finger in front of him.

"Uh-uh-uh. Official guild business."

He nodded at her and grabbed the letter from her hands.

"Yes, Seventh."

And before Erza could say her parting words, Storm's spiky raven-hair disappeared in a blur of motion.

"He didn't even bother to properly say goodbye to his guild master."

Eru stood beside the Seventh in a stance that replicated the latter's. Erza could just smile.

The young raven-haired rushed to his house, wanting to rip open the letter Erza-basan just handed him. He was such in a hurry he didn't notice he was slipping out of his clothes again.

"Mom! Mom!" Storm called out before he could even open the door. He rushed inside, already on his bare feet. He stopped dead on his tracks when he saw an unfamiliar figure sitting on their dining table. The man had his back at him so he couldn't see his face. He took a few steps forward to take a closer look, considering if the man was a threat. But when he saw the stranger holding his mother's hand, the storm was unleashed.

"Water Slicer!"

But the water blades Storm created dissolved upon contact with an ice shield. He prepared for another attack but his hands immediately dropped when the stranger spoke.

"So? He learned your water magic?"

Storm saw his mother nod in response. A contented smile plastered on her face. The stranger spun and turned to him and the young boy was too surprised to move. Gray walked leisurely towards his son, still maintaining his laid-back demeanor. He lowered himself and leveled his midnight eyes with his.

"You should learn my ice-make too. That's unfair if you're just going to work on your mother's magic."

Gray's wide grin was wiped out by a single punch from his own son.

Storm Fullbuster huffed, his shoulders rising and falling with his breathing. Seven years of frustration and anger built up inside him and it overwhelmed him. He prepared his second punch and ready to throw it when his worried mother rushed to him and threw her hands around him to keep him from moving.

"Storm-chan, please don't hurt dad."

"I guess that's my fault."

The atmosphere at the guild was extra festive that morning. The members celebrated the return of one of their own with a hero's welcome. But one certain raven-haired wasn't in the mood to celebrate.

"Oi, Storm! Why aren't you joining the party for your dad?"

Storm immediately rose to his feet. He balled his hands into fists and yelled at the unknowing Eru, face all red.

"He's not my dad!"

"Idiot! You look like him!"

Storm crossed his arms against his chest and turned his back against Eru, which he knew drove her off the wall.

"So? That doesn't make him my dad. He's just a guy who really likes my mom."

"That's not true."

Both heads turned to the owner of the voice. Gray stepped out from behind the scarlet-haired with Juvia's hand held in his.

"I love your mother." The ice-mage gazed lovingly at his wife beside him, pairing it up with a satisfied smile that she gladly returned. "And you are the product of that love."

Gray didn't see it coming. Next thing he knew, his son's impressive water nebula sent him flying at the other end of the room.

"Mom is mine!" Storm declared.

If there was one thing Storm Fullbuster hated, it was sharing his mother's affection.

"Ah, I guess he got Juvia-chan's personality."

And the whole guild broke into loud laughter.

* * *

Phew! It was hard to come out for children names. Hope you enjoyed it! And please do leave reviews. I eat reviews for breakfast. Bwahahahaha.

PS: Anyone here reading Naruto Gaiden? I love Sarada! Next drabble will be inspired by her and Sasuke and Sakura. Basically the Triple S family. :)


	6. 4th of July

**A/N:** This is a request from the ask meme I made at tumblr and this is how I interpret the song. Honestly, when I listen to this song all I see is really sweaty, really hot and rough Gruvia motel sex. But this writer here is very inexperienced when it comes to writing downright smut so this is all you get from me. lol. So there, read at your own risk. ;)

DISCLAIMER: The names Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser belongs to Japanese Illustrator Hiro Mashime as part of his manga series Fairy Tail. The song used and mentioned in this fiction belongs to its rightful owner/s. All other characters and circumstances appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

* * *

 **4th of July**

* * *

Song: _**4th of July** by Fall Out Boy_ _  
_Rating: _M  
_ Requested by: _Anonymous  
_ Requested at: _Tumblr_

 _..._

 ** _I said I'd never miss you  
_ _But I guess you never know  
_ _May the bridges I have burned light my way back home  
_ _On the fourth of July_**

A long cry of awe echoed throughout the city of New York. The crowd had gathered in places, hotel rooftops and any other elevated spaces that offered the best view of the annual fireworks display over the Hudson River. An overwhelming pride and love for the country had flooded the hearts of every American as the firework display boomed and lighted up the New York skyline. But unlike the patriotic pyrotechnic display, the overwhelming feeling did not fade out in crackles.

A group of fireworks shot up straight to the sky before shattering into thousands of sparks. Another set spiraled up before exploding with a brilliant light. The luminous display reached one of the dark rooms in the Marriot Hotel.

~***Not Safe For Work- _ish_ *** ~

A soft glow of red, probably from a dying firework, casted a shadow on the face of the man moving above Juvia. She caressed the side that the light did not reach and traced the silhouette that formed on the man's face. He welcomed it by brushing his cheeks against the warmth of her palm as he continued to rock both their worlds.

"I'm sorry but I want more."

The man leaned closer in an attempt to close the small gap in between them. They were so close that he could feel her warm breath against his flushed skin. It felt so good for him that he wanted to return the favor. So the dark-haired man lifted Juvia's leg and rested it against his shoulder, angling their bodies to get maximum pleasure, just as she wanted.

"Gray– _hah_."

Juvia cried as the man named Gray hit the sweetest spot of her entire being. He continued his assault, driving the blue-haired woman out of her mind. Her newly painted nails dug into his bare skin, making Gray feel both pain and pleasure at the same time. And oh how much he liked it.

"Gray!"

Her lover matched her every moan with sharp breaths. They both lost themselves in the intoxicating union of their bodies. Juvia did not mind missing the first half of the spectacular show outside the four walls of the Marriot suite even if the reason for renting the expensive room was to have a better view of the Fourth of July fireworks display.

"GRAY!"

No. Gray Fullbuster working to please her, to quench her thirst for him and to appease his hunger for her was far better and more spectacular than anything else compared.

"GRAAAAY!"

Juvia threw her arms around her lover's neck and pulled him closer against her, desperate for the contact as she waited for the first wave of her orgasm to pass. She clung to him; her stifled cries of pleasure driving the woman's lover to his peak. Gray picked up his pace, driving into her, slamming against her in a primal need to answer that pleasurable ache plaguing them during those torturous months they were not together. The second orgasm tore off her in a hard and satisfying way.

~***End of Not Safe For Work- _ish_ *** ~

The second half of the firework display brightened the dark July sky. The night had not gone yet. Juvia leaned on the balcony railing. She pulled her hotel robe tighter around her body before she wrapped her arms around her form. How long were they going to keep this up? Meeting up in hotels in secret and basking in the thrill and gratification of their forbidden moments. She gasped in surprise when a pair of strong arms trapped her between her lover's body and the railing. Gray enveloped her in a warm embrace that made her heart flutter. He buried his face against her neck and planted soft kisses on the place where the neck meets the shoulder.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Juvia's eyes shut instinctively. She tilted her head on the side to afford her lover more access. He knew her too well. He knew her body too well. He knew what ticked her and angered her and saddened her and what made her open up to him like a flower. But she could never understand Gray.

One moment he was an untamed beast, ravaging her in the most visceral and sensuous way that drove her wild. He slammed her back against the wall and left love marks on her lonely skin the first time they met again today. Then he would act like a gentle lover whose breath depended on her existence. A familiar sadness tugged on her heart. Juvia would never fully understand Gray. He was a riddle she would never figure out.

"Isn't it time to go back to your wife?"

Juvia could not hide the acid in her voice. Just the thought of Gray doing the things he did to and with her with another woman smashed her heart into a thousand pieces.

"Hmm… Maybe." He answered distractedly.

Gray nipped on Juvia's soft skin. Stopping only to answer her then going back to what he was doing. His expert hands did not stay idle either. They roamed her body beneath the robe and explored the most sensitive places that he knew rocked her whole being.

Juvia felt a jolt of pleasure travel down her spine. Her married lover bit a lump of her soft skin and run his tongue over the bruised area while his hands never stopped staking a claim on every inch of her body. If this was his way to apologize for the difficult position he put her in then he was forgiven.

"Isn't she even looking for you?"

"Can we stop talking about her now? I'm kinda busy here."

Gray made his way up, traced the fold of her ear and nibbled on her lobe, knowing it's the only way to end this topic he had no interest in discussing. But Juvia wouldn't stay down. She bit the moan that threatened to escape her lips and voiced the sentiment that touched a sore spot in him.

"Well, it's your fault for getting married."

Gray sighed, succumbing to his defeat, and withdrew his arms from underneath her robe.

"Alright. Let's just watch the fireworks now, okay?"

He pulled her closer against him and tightened his arms around her. She could not see it as she had her back on him but this romantic position they were in painted a big smile of great satisfaction on his face. He wished she would feel it too. Maybe next year, when they reunite again under the illuminated sky of Fourth of July.

 ** _It was the fourth of July  
_ _You and I were_ _,  
_ _You and I were fire, fire fireworks  
_ _That went off too soon  
_ _And I miss you and the jungle too_**

* * *

Author's Note

* * *

That's probably the most angsty Gruvia I have ever written so far. Hihi. A penny for your thoughts, readers?

Don't forget to leave reviews! It powers me up. ;)

And please look forward for my next update for She's In Your Court.


	7. She's In Your Court 3

Summary: She lives in the world of grace, he breathes action. When both worlds meet, will it bring chaos or love?

 **FULL DISCLOSURE:** Premise borrowed from the movie _"The Game Plan"_. Aside from the circumstances of how the main couple met, other similarities are purely incidental or will be pointed out in a disclaimer/disclosure whichever is appropriate. This fiction will go on as how the writer intended.

A/N: Hi! I want to apologize early for the constant jumping. I hope you can bear with it though. Let me know what you think, alright? Down there! Leave a review down there? Awright?

* * *

 **She's In Your Court 3**

* * *

 _'Cause I try and try to forget you, girl_  
 _But it's just so hard to do_  
 _Every time you do that thing you do_

 _\- That Thing You Do, The Wonders_

 _..._

Gray hated to admit that Bunhead was right: he shouldn't have stayed. He has no choice. _Eyes on the Prize_. He reminded himself. _Eyes on the prize_.

The only high of his day was talking to the graceful Olivia Lockser, Bunhead's mother. Not only because she actually has a good sense of humor but mostly because she was very welcoming. Unlike the grumpy bluenette she shared an uncanny resemblance with who only welcomed him with hostility. His carefully prepared plan stumbled on a dead-end too and just when he finally caught her off-guard.

Gray checked his designer watch. It was exactly four in the afternoon. Another half an hour and they'd be off home. _Finally._ He sighed. The celebrity-athlete continued bobbing his head about whatever the group of middle-aged woman was talking about. He also _ahhed_ and _oohed_ on cue the rest of the day.

The sound of a distant bell marked the end of the session and Gray could not be happier. He jumped out of his seat, almost too instantly.

"Okay, class. I guess that's it for today."

Juvia spun to face her students. She gave them a few reminders before the ballet teacher dismissed her class with a wide smile. The children responded animatedly as if the day's vigorous routine did not tire them at all. It reminded Juvia why she loved her job.

The children ran to their guardians and dragged them out to the locker room. Gray could only bow and smile sheepishly as the women, who were obviously obsessed with him, struggled to stay to bade him goodbye. A small hand tugged his free one and his attention was directed to the little girl wearing a tutu identical to the other children.

"Big brother should stay here. You are not allowed in the locker room." He nodded to show his agreement and Maddy disappeared behind the giant pair of door.

Gray did not return to his seat. Instead, he walked toward the wall of painting he already saw yesterday. He threw the unsuspecting bluenette a glance then casually returned his attention to the art piece when she looked his way. He would, again, cast a side glance when he felt like she wasn't looking anymore.

Mary, Juvia's young and pretty assistant, handed her a bottle of water and a clean towel. Then, she walked toward the pretentious athlete and offered him one too.

"Have some water, sir."

Gray returned her warm smile, collecting the beverage the petite woman offered and said his thanks casually as if he didn't have a little panic when the assistant turned his way and approached him. He ignored the small giggle the young girl stifled as she walked back to her desk.

The Pocari Sweat was still cold in his hands. He unscrewed the cap and took a few gulps from the bottle, emptying it in half. At the corner of his eye, he saw Juvia's small figure move. Gray never believed in the saying 'curiosity killed the cat' so he turned his head, ever so cautious. Then, as if caught in a daze, he watched Juvia mesmerize him with every move.

The petite bluenette just had a sip of her cold bottle and replaced the cap immediately. She clutched the clean towel and dabbed off the sweat on her forehead. Gray's trained eyes followed her hand as she slid the towel down her cheeks and then to her neck. Her eyes were closed shut, her lips were slightly parted and the way she tilted her bare neck on the side made it hard for Gray to swallow. Suddenly, the room temperature shot up to a hundred degree.

"When did it get so hot in here?" He asked himself in a small voice.

The flustered athlete adjusted his shirt collar that started to suffocate him. But as he did so, his dark brown eyes never left Juvia. He quickly regretted it as he watched her towel dab at her bare and prominent collarbone and slowly approaching a zone he cannot look away from. Gray was so preoccupied he did not notice his grip tightening around the plastic bottle. He also did not notice the little girl who emerged behind him.

"Should we go big brother?"

Gray jumped in surprise, accidentally spilling the water on the floor and some on him too. He immediately looked away before the ballet teacher caught him gawking at her. Juvia's assistant rushed to him with a towel in hand that he politely declined.

"It's okay. We're actually on our way so no need for that."

He took his younger sister's hand in his and pulled her out of the practice room without so much as a glance at the woman he was happily yet covertly eyeing earlier.

With his brother's brisk steps, Maddy could not help but feel like they were two shoplifters trying to make a run for it without anyone noticing. She lumbered along to catch up, her skinny legs almost missing the steps on the stairs. Then, she was only able to steady herself when her older brother finally stopped outside the entrance. She noticed him draw out a long sigh before relief washed over him.

"Did we do something wrong, big brother?"

"What? No. What made you think of that?"

Gray clawed the keys out of his pocket. He waved goodbye to Uncle Rob who grew close to him in the last few days. On their way to the car, a strange man he has never seen before acknowledged him with a friendly nod and a subtle smile. He continued walking to his car but paused at the door of his bachelor Porsche to give the stranger a back-glance. Gray identified the Magnolian accent from the stranger's voice as he greeted the night security. Uncle Rob's undeniable ease with the new guy piqued the athlete-celebrity's curiosity.

"Stay with Uncle Rob for a moment. I forgot something upstairs."

Gray left without further explanation. He skulked along the stairs, hurrying his steps not to lose sight of the stranger yet falling behind to keep himself in stealth mode. Which he later realized was unnecessary and, also, made him look stupid. So he pulled himself away from the wall and rose from his squat position. The athlete turned spy-for-the-moment continued on his trail on the new guy, who managed to lose him and disappeared on the second floor.

"What the!" Gray panicked.

He was sneaking around the second floor to look for clues when muffled voices pulled him against the giant doors that led to the practice room.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes. I'll go get changed."

Are you ready? Go get changed? What were these to up two? Gray's nosy side kept taunting so with ears and curiosity, he pressed flat against the door to keep listening.

"You should really do more cardio or else you can't keep up with me, Juv."

Gray raised a brow. He heard the ballet teacher's faint laugh on the other side.

"I can totally keep up with you Vijee."

"Well, then why did you make me stop midway, yesterday?"

The exchange on the other side of the door painted some dirty images in his mind.

"You try teaching kids and you'll understand." Nosy neighbor assumed the low chuckle that followed belonged to the stranger.

"Put your leg higher."

The stalking hoopster choked. He has been in this kind of conversation far too many times to know what was happening.

"Like this?"

"Yes. And bend your body more. Yes, just like that."

Gray knew exactly what he was supposed to do: leave. If it was him, he did not appreciate any stranger walking in on him while he was doing the nasty. So he pushed the giant pair of door open and announced himself. But the surprise was on him when the scene materializing before him was nothing close to what he pictured.

Juvia had her right leg up against the hand bar while she bent her body forward to reach the end of her toes. While the stranger, who had already changed in his black tights, was too far from the woman to actually do anything funny. When they both turned to the new guy who just busted in through their practice, the unsuspecting pair had a quizzical look on their faces. The prepping ballerina put down her leg and ambled toward the intruder.

"Why are you still here?" Juvia asked with so much resignation.

"I should be asking you the same."

"What?" The puzzled look on the ballet teacher's face seemed permanent.

"Who's that guy?"

Gray already walked up to where Vijee was, not even bothered to hide the stare daggers he's shooting the latter. The ballet teacher panicked. If she did not know better, Juvia would think Hoops there was picking a fight against her dance partner. Which she cannot simply allow so she immediately rushed in between the two who was already engaged in a stand-off.

"He's my dance partner." And remembering she did not owe him any explanation she added "Why do you even ask?"

He answered her with a chuckle, one that got to Juvia's nerves.

"Oh. You mean _that guy_?"

 _That guy?_ Juvia's face registered a perplexed expression. Since when did she ever have a decent conversation with that man? And what was he trying to point out? She was even more confused when the Fiore Knights' Star Player hung his arm around Vijee's shoulder.

"Don't worry. I know about your preference." informed Gray, before flashing the flabbergasted danseur his knee-melting wink.

"Preference?"

Vijee eyed the ballerina, demanding an explanation but she only mirrored the surprise on his reddened face.

"Yep. Juvia told me all about it."

Juvia's small jaw dropped. Gray didn't just imply that her ballet partner, her one ticket to make it in the renowned Don Quixote ballet production, was gay, he even implicated her as the source of that baseless gossip. She never even thought it's possible for Vijee to like men in that way. Well, maybe once. It's when she saw him very close; too close actually, to her former ballet classmate, Danzo, even literally. But they both swore nothing was between them so she let that go.

"Vijee wait!"

The worried ballerina did not have enough time to refute Gray's lies. She hurried after Vijeeter only to find the door slammed at her face. She ran after him with the alarming knowledge of what his departure meant.

"Vijee!"

She descended the stairs with hurried steps but the man in front of him had a good head start. The moment she almost caught up with him he was already getting in a cab, cursing her to the bones.

"Vij!"

The yellow cab roared away, shrinking in the distance. Juvia watched as her one good chance of nailing the audition slip away from her reach. She thought of running after him on foot but that's chasing after paper drifting in the wind. Just like her dreams now: a weightless paper drifting away in the wind.

* * *

Juvia struggled to push the door open. _When did it become this heavy?_ Her hopeless eyes flew to the crouched figure on the side. His body was shaking and somehow standing up proved to be a challenge. The ballerina's blue eyes squinted into a glare. The bastard was holding his stomach while hysterical laughs spewed out of him.

"Okay. Okay. You gotta admit that was funny."

Gray was just about wiping the tears at the side of his eyes when the ballerina grabbed him by the collar.

"Whoa-whoa! Easy there, sweetie!"

Her face was so close to his that he easily noticed the trickle of tears running down her cheeks. Gray felt a pang of guilt when the ballerina's sad but angry eyes sliced through him. Juvia clenched her fists so hard to the point that it suffocated him.

The audition was set a few weeks away and Juvia and Vijee had spent their nights perfecting her routine. Now that her dance partner walked out of her, it set the disheartened ballerina back to square one. Her blue eyes brimmed with tears of frustration. Juvia released the reason for her state with a slight shove and spun around to avoid him.

"Go."

Her words were so sharp that Gray felt it pierce through him.

"I said go!"

"Hey." Gray coaxed. His voice just above a whisper.

Juvia did not pay him any attention. Instead, she sat at a corner, pulled her knees against her chest and buried her head on them. Primitive and childish, but the she did not care anymore. She broke into sobs.

"Hey, Juvia." Feeling all responsible, Gray Fullbuster squatted beside the sobbing dancer. "I didn't really expect he'd react that way."

"Go away!" Ordered Juvia, not even bothering to lift her head and look at him. "Thanks to you I can kiss my dreams goodbye." Although her voice was muffled by her position, he understood clearly. He understood dreams, passion and hard work because Gray was once like her too: A man full of hope and aspirations.

"Geez. If you really need a partner then I'll do it."

Juvia whipped her head up and stared at him like he just suggested they invade the Alvarez Empire.

"Please don't joke around in this situation."

The more he thought about the situation and the unfavorable effects the decision might have on his basketball career, the stronger doubt grew in him. But the stream of spent tears glistening on her creamy cheeks made him felt even guiltier.

"I'm not. I'll be your partner."

Juvia blinked at him. Once. Twice. She studied his face as she waited for the punch line. But Gray Fullbuster was serious. So serious that in order to convince her, the King of the Hoops employed his most potent persuasion strategy.

"Besides, it's me we're talking about here." Pointing a proud finger at himself, the Fiore Knights' Star Player announced, "There's nothing Golden Boy Gray Fullbuster cannot do."

* * *

Whatever made Juvia agree to the hoopster's ridiculous proposal, she was not even sure anymore. Maybe she was so desperate that she would have even agreed on selling one or both her kidneys. But the ballerina had the night to rethink the whole thing. She took a deep breath, cleared her mind and proceeded on devising a new game plan. Juvia Lockser was determined to get right back on track with or without Vijee.

So when Gray Fullbuster came to her studio, dressed in his matching gym shorts and fit white tee, she had another think coming.

"You really don't have to do this."

"Yeah?" said Gray distractedly. He purposely flexed his well-defined biceps in front of Juvia just to show off. "Well, I don't back out on my words so here we are." Flashing a cute wink at the end.

The famous athlete strutted toward the center of the room, stretching his arms and tilting his head from side to side on the way. Then, he began his formal warm-up starting from the shoulders.

Juvia weighed her options. She already formulated and practiced her new solo choreography. But it would not hurt if she would take Gray up on his offer since she was primarily auditioning for a part in a duet. It would show the judges and the board of the Don Quixote production that she could work well with a partner. Problem was: could she really work well with the hoopster?

Blue eyes wandered over the figure bending over at the center of her studio. She watched him extend his right arm to touch his toes on his left foot then his left hand with his toes on the right foot. When Gray rose to his full height, she could not help but trace a sinful trail starting from his broad, athletic shoulders, down his perfect V-shaped back. And when he reached down for another stretch, Juvia's mouth ran dry. His perfect and glorious ass demanded her attention. She easily obliged.

The twenty-six year old ballet teacher sadly realized she has not been in a relationship since she started teaching at the studio. She slapped her palms against her burning cheeks and whirled away to avoid detection. If he's back side could send every cell in her body into a frenzy, then how much more the front? And he's not even naked, _yet_. Juvia shook her head to get rid of those improper thoughts. She proceeded to the handle bar and rested her left leg on it so in case her nosy assistant came asking why she was as red as a tomato, she'd have her reason.

"Gosh. You really are flexible."

"I hope that's not as dirty as it sounds."

"Hey, you're the one thinking dirty here."

Juvia put her leg down and glared at her disrupter. She has not even calmed her heart and her hormones yet and the bastard had the balls to lean against her hand bar and chat with her with that very, _very_ sexy smug on his face.

"Let's just get started, okay?"

"M'kay."

There was something about his smile and his mood that she could not point out exactly. Like he knew something she did not but Juvia brushed it off.

"I need to know how well you can dance." At the drop of a hat, Juvia switched from a blushing schoolgirl to a serious businesswoman. "Show me."

"My dance?"

Juvia nodded.

"Okay. Here it goes."

Gray Fullbuster smiled at himself. Oh he got this. He looked up to the ceiling to call for Michael and whether it was the King of Pop or King of the Hoops, he always made them proud.

"Prepare to be amazed."

He threw an imaginary fedora on his head and kept his hand poised there while his free hand was positioned on a place Juvia avoided. He started humming the chorus, spun around ala Michael Jackson and glided his feet backwards like he was walking on air. It had a cute mix of goofy and sexy. But sexy won over when Gray executed his steamy pelvic thrust.

 _When did it get so hot?_ Juvia wondered.

"Well, Golden Boy, I'm auditioning for a ballet recital not a strip club."

Juvia needed to know if this pelvic-thrusting guy in front of her had a potential as an actual dancer, and if he did, to what extent. She showed Gray some of the basics in ballet, pushing the image of him rocking his hips like a rock star at the back of her mind – way, way back there. Surprisingly, he was learning fast.

Of course, hoopster could not cram the four years worth of studying and practice in just one day. Maybe a year or two if he practiced daily. But time was not a luxury. So the professional dancer between the two settled on just going with the basics. Besides, Gray was not auditioning for the spot on the production, she was. Juvia just had to use his well-defined build and strong figure in her advantage.

"Lift you?"

"Yes."

"So I'm just like a prop? A stunt-man?"

"Well… not exactly."

Gray squinted at her in an attempt to intimidate her into admitting that in her eyes he was just a chair or a ladder she could step on.

"Then what exactly am I?"

Not a dancer.

The two of them were so uncoordinated that he slams into her in every turn. And even in a simple lift and carry he was always dropping her.

"How much" Puff. "do you" Puff. "weigh?" Puff.

"Don't ask a woman her weight!"

* * *

"Well Mr. Star Player, you're late again."

Briar, the sultry Fiore Knights' team-manager, chided Gray for being late. His teammates were already thirty minutes in on their morning drill. She made sure that the warning in her voice was on point too. But it did not seem like the Star Player heard it because he just walked past her, dropped his duffel beside him and sunk on one of the bleachers.

Gray was tired – dead tired. His body was aching all over. He even had to request the company chauffer to pick him up and drive him to the was freaking Saturday and he had to drag himself to practice.

The irritable raven-haired listened to Briar's tall heels tap on the gym floor. He frowned beneath the towel he covered his face with knowing the foxy manager was approaching him. His suspicion was confirmed when Briar grabbed the towel away and the gym's remarkable lighting system bombarded his vision. It took his dark brown eyes a few seconds to adjust to the sudden brightness and, just as he guessed, the tough manager already had her hands crossed against her generous chest with a disapproving expression plastered on her face.

"Get up."

"Just give me a minute."

"Get up or I will haul your ass there."

Gray raised both his hands in surrender. Experience told him not to get on the woman's bad side. So as soon as the team jogged past where he was sitting, the Star Player insinuated himself within the group.

* * *

This year's Most Valuable Player could jog up and down the bleachers for thirty minutes minimum and make it look so easy-peasy. He could finish the standard number of jogs in his sleep. Today, however, his legs gave up on the second lap.

Coach Macao, Fiore Knight's resident instructor and strategist, granted him a short break before finishing his remaining laps.

"We don't want to lose our Star Player, do we?" He would say.

With that said the exhausted team captain jump at the opportunity. With both feet rested atop the back of the seat in front of him, Gray made himself comfortable on the bleachers. He was just about to shut the world out to take a short nap when a big hand slapped him on the shoulders and startled him awake.

"Bunhead?" said Natsu Dragneel, the country's best point-guard and the most annoying best-friend Gray has ever met.

"I hear you, brother."

Gray's team, not wanting to miss out on anything juicy, had just joined in on the circle.

"I dated this one chick in college. She was in dance sports or something. Man, never stopped until I passed out."

"What? Lucy did Dance Sports in college? What category?" Loke asked, surprised to know that Eathland Sports' newscaster and the only woman Natsu ever dated could actually dance.

"Latin American, I think."

"Shut up, pervs."

The Captain didn't need the mental images of Lucy and his best friend doing the nasty. The blonde was a close friend since college and he was not sure if he could look at her the same. So he threw a towel at his Point-guard's face to shut him up.

"Besides, if that's what we're doing I'd be glad."

No. The reason why his body was sore, and not the good kind you would have after a very fun night with a woman, was because they had been practicing for three days straight and they were nowhere close to audition-ready.

* * *

Juvia sighed. She sighed for the umpteenth time that morning.

"Honey, if you keep doing that then you're going to suffocate the plants."

Olivia finally voiced out her concern for her plants, which she meticulously grew herself around their kitchen. And if there was something that irritated the classy woman more than the indirect threat to her beloved pots was her daughter losing her table manners.

Juvia had both her feet up on the seat, crossed in an Indian sitting position. Her elbow was propped on the table to support her messy-bunned head. And she has not touched her breakfast.

"What's bothering you?" She slid in one of their expensive table chairs. "And will you put your feet down? Elbows off the table too."

The younger bluenette knew better not to argue so she politely complied. She kept forking her sausage on the plate though.

"Vijee quitted on me."

Concern flashed on Olivia's blue eyes, a shade lighter than her daughter's.

"What? Why?"

"Long story. I had him replaced but…"

"But what?"

"He's an okay dancer, to say the least. But we seem to be..." Juvia searched for the right word. "uncoordinated." Just the perfect word.

"He keeps stepping on my feet. Then we collide against each other every now and then. He even keeps dropping me." Juvia massaged her left arm which was still sore from slamming against the floor.

Juvia whined at her mother when she mentioned about her weight and saying it was probably the problem. The ballet teacher defended that she kept watching her diet and she weighed normal for her height.

"Then maybe you need to know your partner better."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Hearing her stomach complain, Juvia finally took a bite at her sausage.

"Well, why do you think you and Vijee are really attuned to each other?"

Juvia gave it a thought while she chewed on her sausage. Compared to all their classmates at the ballet school, it seemed that Vijee was the most compatible to her. They would always win any duet recitals and top any partner-examinations in school. Not only that, she has also relied on Vijee numerous times. He was even the first person she asked help for her audition when she first received the news about it. But it could also be due to the danseur's extraordinary talent. He even started making a name for himself now.

"Dancing is like making love."

Juvia knew spit-takes were definitely not funny in real-life. But she did one however, spitting out the chunked pieces of her sausage. She wiped her mouth quickly. Only if she could wipe the redness of her face with the napkin too.

"I'm sorry. Wh-what?"

Olivia chuckled at how childish her daughter reacted to the word 'making-love'. She was already twenty six for goodness sake.

"Dancing with a partner does not only unite your minds and your bodies but your hearts as well. And in order to execute a move perfectly then you and your partner must become one. Vijee has knowledge about you that no one else has learned and I can fairly say you know him well too. That's why you both are comfortable with each other. And that intimacy you share translates into a unified and graceful dance that can touch the hearts of anyone watching."

Juvia pondered over her mother's words. Looking back at the first few days she has spent with the hoopster, all she did was argue with him. They never even had a decent talk. The faint screech of the chair's legs against the carpeted floor pulled her out of her thoughts. Olivia was getting out of her seat to attend to her plants again. But before she did, she faced her daughter and left her one last advice.

"Keep that in mind, honey."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

I should have separated this ficlet from bits & pieces. This will be the last multi-chap I'm gonna post here, I promise! Leave me some reviews fellas! Love you guys! *wink


	8. She's In Your Court 4

Summary: She lives in the world of grace, he breathes action. When both worlds meet, will it bring chaos or love?

 **FULL DISCLOSURE:** Premise borrowed from the movie _"The Game Plan"_. Aside from the circumstances of how the main couple met, other similarities are purely incidental or will be pointed out in a disclaimer/disclosure whichever is appropriate. This fiction will go on as how the writer intended.

* * *

 **She's In Your Court 4**

* * *

 _And you play it coy, But it's kinda cute._  
 _Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do._  
 _Baby don't pretend, that you don't know it's true._  
 _Cause you can see it when I look at you._

 _\- Everything, Michael Buble_

 _..._

Juvia Lockser wondered what she had ever done wrong to deserve getting stuck with a five-year-old goof-ball trapped in a hot basketball star's body. The times she tried to make a conversation, Gray would twist her words and insist that she liked him, which was obviously not the case. Okay, maybe. Maybe, she liked him a little bit.

"Will you be serious for a second?"

Without warning, Gray breached the gap between him and Juvia and pulled his most serious expression.

"Does this look serious to you?"

"Yes. Seriously annoying."

Juvia shoved his face away.

"Take five."

Gray mentally celebrated when it was Bunhead who first walked away. For him, it was a victory. So, he paraded toward Mary, looking all pleased with himself.

"Oh, hi Mary!" Gray leaned on the counter and answered her schoolgirl giggle with his famous wink.

"Water, sir?"

Gray thanked Mary for the gesture and reminded her to drop the formalities as it made him feel old.

"Please, just call me, brother."

Mary's smile turned sour, although she hid it. Clearly, any chance she thought she had with the Fiore Knight's team captain flew out the window.

Gray emptied his bottle and asked another one from the young assistant. He was telling Mary about the secret to his smooth and clear skin, which was staying hydrated, when something caught his attention. He easily recognized the GQ front cover photo sticking out the stack of Juvia's Dance Magazine collection. He pulled it out and beamed. How could he not recognize it when he had a large portrait of that sexy GQ photo hanging in his bedroom?

The curious cat spread the stack on top of the counter. His smile grew wider with every discovery. Juvia kept a fair share of his sport and health-related magazine covers.

"Are you done?"

The ballerina's approaching light steps painted a sly smile on Gray's face – one that reminded her of the cat in Alice in Wonderland.

"So..." Gray raised a number of magazines to display and to rub the evidence in Juvia's face, intimidating her into admitting that she was a fan. He succeeded.

"Th-that's not mine!"

 _Almost._

"It's probably Mary's. She's a big fan."

Hoopster turned to the woman in question, hoping in all hopes it was not true. He celebrated inwardly when the young assistant shook her head in response.

"It was already here before I even started, Ms. Juvia."

The basketball superstar faced the ballerina again with confidence shooting off the charts. He dangled the evidence in front of her – taunting her. Juvia, however, did not take the bait.

"My mom probably bought it. Since the guardians of my students like you so much, she probably thought it will keep them entertained. So, can we start now, Sherlock?"

The insult in the end only grazed Gray's inflated ego. Before he can retort back, Juvia was already at the center of the room, eager to start the practice. _And change the subject._ She was a woman who hated to waste time after all.

Gray replaced the evidence on the desk, retreating for now. But he was not going to let it go. The athlete-celebrity lit his imaginary cigarette in his mind. Oh he was going to get to the bottom of this. He moved behind Juvia's slender figure, falling on their opening position. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing his open palms flat on her torso. When Juvia leaned her head back against his athletic shoulder, following the choreography, the raven-haired could not help but take in the scent of her fresh perfume – a combination of sweet and sexy.

Gray was supposed to dip his head against the ballerina's long neck but his warm, soft lips brushing lightly against it ruined Juvia's concentration. So, she decided against it, much to her partner's dismay. They settled with Hoopster just looking straight ahead.

"Why can't you just admit it?"

At the first drop of the beat, Juvia lowered her body, sliding against Gray's, and stopped midway. Both her open palms rested on the athlete's strong hips for support. She extended her right foot forward, with toes pointing sharply outwards, and drew an arc on the floor before pulling it back to its original position.

"Admit what?"

The bluenette's skinny arms snaked around Gray's neck and her slender fingers interlocked behind it. Her back was still at him. Both her feet lightly brushed against the carpet when Hoospter spun Juvia once. She finished the sequence with her left leg held in a powerful en pointe.

"That you _do_ know me."

"I never said I didn't."

"But that time…"

"Will you drop it and concentrate on the dance?"

Juvia missed a step in a turn and collided against the Hoopster. Something she has been getting really good at lately.

"I won't stop until you admit."

The bluenette fell on her opening position with her left foot – the working foot – pointed in front of the other with a space between them. She stepped and put all her weight on her working foot and ended her first turn with a passé by lifting her toe up and resting it on the side of her knee. She was too busy perfecting her pique turns to listen to the whiner.

But Gray was not a quitter.

"Until you admit that you are a…"

Second pique turn.

Hoopster tailed the ballerina as she repeated the traveling turning step in a diagonal.

" _Big"_

Third pique turn.

" _Fat"_

Juvia got a little distracted and missed her landing in the final sequence. She was about to make contact with the floor when Gray's agile reflexes kicked in and caught her.

" _Fan"_

Juvia blinked at Hoopster. Blinked. Blinked again. She waited for him to put a stop in their awkward position but Gray had no intention in doing so. Not until he got the ballerina to admit to his suspicions.

"Will you pull me up?"

"No. I want to see your face turn red when you finally admit to the truth."

The annoyed, and slightly flustered, ballerina simpered to answer his teasing smile.

"Pull me up or I will kick your balls."

Gray pulled her up immediately and put a safe gap between them. He put protective arms across his vulnerable area not wanting to find out whether there was any truth in her threat.

* * *

Seeing a group of men in a gossipy circle was not a bizarre picture to walk-in in the Fiore Knights' training center. As a matter of fact, seeing the phenomenal members of the Fiore Knights basketball team, in a gossipy circle before they begin their morning exercises, was not bizarre at all. These men needed their daily dose of chitchats before they started the day. The only things missing were tea cups and white gloves.

"I can't believe it. I really can't believe it, man." Gajeel paced the floor with his hands flying all around him, all disappointed. "How can I be a Charlotte? I mean, I have always thought of myself as a Samantha, you know." He sunk on the bleacher.

Loke placed a comforting hand on his friend's broad, manly shoulders. "Buddy, being a 'Samantha' is a big responsibility. Big, _big_ responsibility. Not anyone can be it."

The group agreed, fully understanding the weight of being a 'Samantha Jones', one of the characters from the hit television show, Sex and the City. Apparently, they were talking about how Gajeel Redfox got a Charlotte Goldenblatt from the show's 'Which Character Are You?' game they all partook in.

They flocked around the big man and shared in his grief.

"Besides, not all of us can be a Charlotte. There's only a few of you."

"What are you ladies up to?"

The small comfort group broke and fanned out when their feisty team manager, who had her arms crossed in disapproval, arrived and interrupted them.

"Chatting, you know." It was Loke Regulus, team's best small-forward and the biggest 'Samantha' in the group, who offered the answer.

"Oh, okay. Now get your asses in there and start training." She ordered as she pointed to the empty court.

"Yes, Ma'am!" The team answered in unison before breaking into a jog toward the center.

Gray Fullbuster fell behind after Briar called his name. He thought she was going to scold him for leaving practice early the day before.

"Here." Briar handed the team captain a neat, medium-sized, white envelope tied with a golden ribbon. "It's your invitation for the party. I wasn't able to give it to you yesterday."

Before his disappearance-act came up, the excited raven-haired grabbed the invitation card from Briar, said his thanks and started toward the court. He turned back to her when he remembered something.

"Hey, Bri. Can I get another one?"

"Oh. Maddy and your mom are coming with your dad so they don't need it."

"No." Gray let out a boyish chuckle. "I wanted to invite someone."

"Oh. Okay. I'll get you another one." Briar succeeded in making her statement sound anything but sour.

"Thanks, Bri. You're the best."

Gray joined his team who were already in their position for the first exercise. His back was already at her so he did not notice the sudden turn in Briar's mood.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I know. It's relatively short. Haha. Well, the next chapter will be like a continuation of this chapter so please stay tuned. Leave reviews down there alright? See ya!

And on a very different note, anyone of you watch Friends the American TV series? I'm on the 4th season.


	9. GRUVIA WEEK Day 1: Memory

**GRUVIA WEEK 2016  
** **DAY 1: MEMORY  
** PAIRING: GRAY X JUVIA  
SERIES: FAIRY TAIL  
Type: One Shot

 **Gray was not supposed to be there**. Gray was definitely not supposed to be there. He hit his own head with his palm. He had six essays, three case dissections and a terror-professor to face the next day. Gray was definitely, _definitely_ not supposed to be there.

As soon as the lights dimmed, the chatters and murmurs around them dissolved into silence. Gray adjusted his black tie. Like the rest of the people in the theater, he was all dressed to the nines for tonight's event. His mind flew back to the case papers sitting on his desk back home. The raven-haired loosened his tie and heaved out a long breath.

 _He was screwed._

Gray turned his attention to the excited blue eyes seated beside him. Juvia always had that effect on him. Her mere presence calmed Gray. Suddenly, the cautious third-year law student had no care in the world.

 _He was totally screwed._

Juvia faced him with a smile that mirrored his – satisfied and happy.

 _He was totally screwed and whipped._

* * *

Gray was never a fan of musicals. For him, it was at most tolerable. They were already half-way through Cats when he felt himself drifting away. He had to thank his two-hour sleep for that. His two-hour sleep and the round and expressive voice singing "Memory".

By the end of the musical, Gray was already in dream heaven.

Nevertheless, Juvia was moved. She knew how busy and serious Gray's schedule was. Still, he took some time off it to spend with her. That's why she didn't budge when, even just in the middle of the play, Gray's ruffled hair was already tickling her cheek. His head fell on her shoulders and she let him.

At the end of Cats, Juvia gave her boyfriend a light nudge. Not wanting to startle him from his sleep. She had to silently apologize to the other guests passing them by. The bluenette and musical-enthusiast knew how grave of an insult it was.

"Gray-sama, it's time to go." She whispered.

It was blue eyes that stared Gray when he finally opened his. He looked around him only to see a vacated hall.

"Is it over?"

Juvia nodded in response.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep."

"Don't worry about it, Gray-sama." Juvia gathered the raven-haired's coat and helped him up.

The couple decided to walk home since Juvia's dormitory was just a few blocks away from the theater and so was Gray's apartment. Besides, it would give them more time together.

"Thank you for coming to see the play with Juvia, Gray-sama. Juvia knows it's not Gray-sama's thing."

"That's okay. I loved…" Gray wanted to say _'watching'_ when he remembered he did fell asleep before the second act. "…being physically there with you."

Juvia chortled.

Gray did have a good sense of humor. He amusingly watched her girlfriend throw her head back laughing. That's a show he never wanted to miss.

"Still, thank you, Gray-sama."

Gray held Juvia's hand in his and pulled her closer to him. Only a few people were out on the streets that night. Most of them were coming out of the theater, just like the couple standing in the middle of the street. Gray kissed the back of his girlfriend's palm, his smiling eyes not leaving hers. The latter nervously chuckled. Even being together for months now, Juvia was still shy about displaying public affection.

The raven-haired took of his coat and put it around Juvia's shoulders. He fixed the coat's collar as he stared at her beautiful blue eyes.

"You're always welcome."

Gray pulled the coat's collar against him and leaned in, brushing his lips against Juvia's. He snaked his hand behind the small of her back and pulled her closer against him. His other hand cupped her cheek. Juvia's enthusiastic response prompted the raven-haired to deepen the kiss. They were both so lost in the magic of that kiss that they forgot where they were.

Gray was not supposed to be there. But he's glad that he was because every moment of that night was etched in his memory.

* * *

Author's Note: Phew! Well, that was short. I made that in one day! All for the glory of Gruvia Week 2016. But I'm kinda lost. I hope you guys can make a suggestion for the second prompt - **DAY 2: EYES.** Let me know in the comments!


	10. GRUVIA WEEK Day 2: Eyes

**GRUVIA WEEK 2016  
** **DAY 2: EYES  
** PAIRING: GRAY X JUVIA  
SERIES: FAIRY TAIL

 **It was said, " _The eyes are the windows to the soul._ "**

Juvia wanted to see the soul behind those dark, lonely eyes.

It was already three months since Juvia moved to Magnolia. Her job-hunting was not so productive and her savings were already running low. She needed to find a job, ASAP. Juvia checked her wall clock. As soon as she recognized the time, the bluenette rushed out the door and came back in when she remembered the primary reason why she was in a hurry – her laundry. She quickly grabbed the basket full of discarded clothes and dashed downstairs to the building's washroom.

But the laundry was not the reason, it was an excuse. A good excuse to see her upstairs neighbor who did his laundry around that time.

It was in the fateful night of her first move when Juvia passed by a certain boy with a ruffled black hair. The raven-haired acknowledged her with a small smile before he went on his way. Her gaze followed him until he disappeared by the corner. Her neighbor was exceptionally good-looking but there was something more about him that appealed to her. There was something in his eyes, his dark midnight eyes, that she was too familiar with – _loneliness_.

* * *

The night was no different from the others. Juvia entered the same diner and sat on the same table. She also did the same thing. As soon as she settled on her seat, she looked for the familiar ruffled black hair, whom she had gone through a lot of trouble to find out his name, and found Gray near the counter in his white long-sleeved uniform. The man was arguing with a familiar brunette.

A waiter interrupted Juvia's eavesdropping. A young man with clear eyeglasses came up to her to ask for her order. She scrambled for the menu but immediately discarded it once she saw her person-of-interest heading for the door. Juvia rushed after him, leaving a confused young blonde in her wake.

Juvia followed the furious raven-haired outside the diner. She watched him absent-mindedly kick a soda can and threw his apron on the ground thereafter. She decided against approaching him while he was in bad mood but it was too late.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Is-is there anything you need?"

Juvia debated whether she should turn around or just run for her life. She decided to go with the former.

"Hey, you live in my building too, right?"

"Yes."

Juvia wanted to say something more than just a 'yes' but she did not exactly know how to follow that. She panicked when the awkward silence enveloped them. Her search for any topic to bring up between them was fruitless. Good thing it was Gray who broke the ice.

"I guess you like the food here, huh?" He nodded his head toward the sign of the diner.

Juvia blushed out of embarrassment but she could not just admit to the real reason why she came there often, could she? So, she thought about it hard. Did she really like the food? She cringed at the memory of the, she let herself call it spaghetti she ordered yesterday.

"Actually… the food here is really, _really_ bad." She sheepishly admitted but her confession earned a whole-hearted laugh from the man.

In the last six months that they passed each other by the hallway or the stairs, Juvia never failed to recognize the same thing she saw in his eyes that fateful day. _The loneliness_. Even if he greeted her with a smile, she saw it. Gray's dark eyes betrayed his own smile.

But that night, under the moonlit sky, it was the truest she saw him.

"So, why do you keep coming here?"

The question alarmed the bluenette.

"Well… that's b-because…"

Gray sensed the bluenette's uneasiness so he changed the subject.

"So, I'm guessing you don't live here since you're renting the apartment downstairs." Gray said, stating the obvious. "Where are you from, then?"

"Oaktown."

"Oh. The chef here is from Oaktown. Do you know Gajeel?"

Juvia shook her head in response.

"Juvia is not familiar with a man named Gajeel."

"Juvia?"

The bluenette scolded herself for forgetting to talk like a normal person. She had probably freaked him out. She raised her head to check if he was still there and, surprisingly for her, he was. Gray leaned against the wall, all eyes and ears to her. Juvia then quickly apologized.

"You must find Juvia weird to talk like this."

"It's okay. It's your thing. I have my own thing too that you may find weird." He chuckled.

The tension that arose quickly dissolved all thanks to Gray's efforts. His cute little laughs helped a lot too.

"By the way, what brings you to Magnolia?"

But before she could respond, a voice behind her interrupted them.

"Yo, droopy eyes. The boss wants you."

It was another waiter from the diner. Juvia recognized the uniform.

"Yes, squinty eyes! I'm coming!" Gray retorted.

Juvia noticed how the waiter with the funny hair-color just casually dismissed the insult Gray threw at him like he was used to it.

"Look… uhmmm." Gray faced her before returning inside. "I have to go but my shift ends soon so if you don't have anything to do then maybe we can get some drinks after?"

Juvia was surprised by the invitation but she quickly regained herself. Good thing it was already dark so Gray could not see her blushing furiously.

"S-s-sure."

"Okay. Great. See you then?"

Juvia nodded in agreement.

But before Gray disappeared by the diner door, he turned to face her.

"It's Gray, by the way."

It was just mere seconds but Juvia saw it. She saw a glimpse of the soul behind those dark, lonely eyes.

* * *

A/N: Yoohoo! I made another entry. I really want to make it 'til the end but I'm not sure if I can since I'll be back to work on Monday. But if I can't write something I'll definitely cook something else for Gruvia Week. I hope you enjoyed this little, confusing, thing I wrote for you guys! Ciao.


	11. GRUVIA WEEK Day 3: Family

**GRUVIA WEEK 2016  
** **DAY 3: FAMILY  
** PAIRING: GRAY X JUVIA  
SERIES: FAIRY TAIL

 **Men and women in white coats and uniforms** ran around and about in varied directions. If you were a tourist asking your way around, the Magnolia Medical Hospital was not the place for you. None of the people from that place had the time to stop for a small chat. Especially the staff and crew. Every minute counted for these people in white coats and uniforms.

A certain raven-haired paced the front of the Emergency Room.

"What's taking them so long?"

Five heads watched the fidgety man. Their heads bobbed to the left and right like watching a ping pong ball get exchanged.

"Gray, please. Just relax."

Lucy massaged her neck. Finally calling out Gray for causing them the bad case of the neck cramps. But the man dressed in one of the hospital's gown continued burning a hole on the floor beneath him.

"They've been there for hours!"

Gajeel, the tallest in the group, walked toward the raven-haired and stopped him by putting a pair of forceful hands on the latter's shoulders.

"Stop it. You're making us all dizzy, o'right? Just relax. Take a deep breath."

Gray obeyed him. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down.

"There you go."

The sharp and loud crying noise interrupted his breathing exercise. But it was an interruption he very much welcomed. Gray pushed the large man aside and stared at the door. He listened to the cry again. It was getting louder and louder. The others stood up from their chairs and joined him.

"Mr. Fullbuster."

A middle-aged woman, one of the white coats wearer, slipped out of the door as she took off her gloves. She bore good news.

"You can see them now."

Gray wasted no time rushing into the other side of that door. The moment he stepped in there, it was an entirely different place. His eyes landed on the figure in the middle of the room. Oh, he never saw her more beautiful. Gray thought it was impossible to fall in love with her again, but fall in love he did. His eyes followed her gaze. In that very moment, he knew his life was changed forever.

A lump formed at the back of Gray's throat. Suddenly, a tightening sensation gripped his whole being. He allowed himself to surrender to the powerful emotion that tugged his heart the moment his eyes landed on the fragile figure cradled against his wife's body.

Gray moved with brisk steps after Juvia looked up from the baby and nodded at him to come closer. It was surreal. He had only seen it in movies or read in books. But the moment he held his little angel in his arms, the whole world stopped. Suddenly, nothing else mattered but the little life in front of him. Gray saw both him and Juvia in his arms, peacefully sleeping.

Slowly, the newborn's eyelids parted. Brief shock flashed over Gray's face. The eyes he stared at were a mix of his and Juvia's. His heart leaped. In his arms laid something so beautiful, something he and Juvia made. Someone they would both treasure forever – their very own little Storm.

"Hi, Storm. Hey, buddy."

He spoke in a brittle whisper.

"It's dad."

The feeling was so overwhelming that he easily gave in. Gray finally allowed the warm tears to roll down his cheeks.

* * *

A/N: Well, that was short. Wow. That's the shortest I've written. Still, I hope you guys like it.

So, has anyone here watched the 'How I Met Your Mother' series finale? The one where Barney first sees his first-born? That was so moving that it stuck with me. That's how I imagined Gray would feel when he finally sees his first-born. I hope the feelings were conveyed in this short entry for Family. Gurvia all the way! See you in the comments. :D


	12. GRUVIA WEEK Day 4: Vacation

**GRUVIA WEEK 2016  
** **DAY 4:** **VACATION/** **STAYCATION  
** **Modern AU  
** PAIRING: GRAY X JUVIA  
SERIES: FAIRY TAIL

 **Juvia Lockser was the kind of person** who never leaves anything to fate. She was an obsessive-compulsive planner. She organized everything up to the very small details. Even the color of the nightie she was going to wear on the first night with her long-time beau was already arranged. She had it all sorted out. So, imagine her frustration when, suddenly, her immune system backed down.

"How can this happen?" She cried.

Juvia shut the door close, a little forcefully. She waved her friends goodbye, albeit regrettably, after they dropped by her house and checked on her before making their way.

The whole thing was already planned out. The four of them were going on a couples' retreat at Mr. Fullbuster's cabin. They were going to play in the lake then share a romantic dinner by the bonfire with the fish that they were going to catch. Juvia envisioned it perfectly. So when her friends offered to move the trip to another date, she refused. She was not going to rain on everyone's parade. Even if she was the one who organized the entire freaking bonanza.

"How can this happen?!"

The tearful bluenette felt a light tap on her head. She looked up to see her boyfriend grinning at her as he balanced a bowl on his other hand.

"C'mon, it's not that bad."

One good thing that came out of this inconvenience was Gray Fullbuster, hottest man alive and 'Boyfriend of the Year', staying to baby-sit her.

"Gray-sama doesn't need to do this."

Gray pulled Juvia up, careful not to spill the chicken soup he made just for her, and ushered the wobbly bluenette up her room.

"Well, I don't really want to third-wheel on those two. And I'd rather stay here with my girlfriend."

The knee-weakening smile the raven-haired flashed before his girlfriend did exactly just that. Juvia should have been immuned to his charms by then. Still, she felt a little light-headed and she was sure it was not because of the flu.

The sweet-talker helped his girlfriend in bed. He expertly laid the hot bowl of chicken soup on her bed-side table and tucked the flushed bluenette under her sheets.

"There you go."

As soon as the patient was settled, Gray sat at the edge of the bed – right beside Juvia. He took a spoonful of the chicken soup and blew on it before feeding it to his girlfriend. Juvia felt her ears burn. Seriously. She should really be used to Gray's suave moves by then. They were already dating for a year.

"Juvia can do this, Gray-sama."

The blushing bluenette collected the spoon and replaced it in the bowl. She spooned a morsel and blew on it herself before putting it in her mouth. Even with her dead sense of taste, Juvia found the soup really delicious. Not just because Gray made it, especially with love, but because it really _did_ taste good. Juvia did not realize how hungry she was until that moment. With amusement, Gray sat still and watched the woman he loved devour the nourishment.

When she was about to lick the bowl clean, Gray grabbed it from her hands and replaced it on the bed-side table. Without warning, the raven-haired leaned in and brushed his warm lips against Juvia's. By instinct, she welcomed the kiss with much fervor. Ironically, it was not until the bluenette's thinking got a little fuzzy from the searing kiss that she saw clearly. She pushed Gray with all her willpower then brought the covers over her reddened face.

"What?"

"Juvia is sick."

Gray quickly dismissed it.

"I don't mind."

He pulled the covers down and captured and owned her lips again in a way that he had never done before.

* * *

After spending a three-day romantic get-away in the cabin owned by Gray's dad, Lucy and Natsu came home to a flushed and bed-rested Gray. The previous situation was reversed. Juvia was now taking care of her sick boyfriend. To no one's surprise, Gray also caught the flu.

Natsu dropped his and Lucy's luggage at the door of Gray's room and rushed inside to laugh at the latter's face. Knowing his bone-head best friend, the 'thank-you' was implied.

"Say, Gray. How did you catch the flu?"

Gray narrowed his eyes at his teasing friend. After all, boys would be boys. So the answer was pretty clear.

"None of your business."

* * *

A/N: HAHAHA. I know. One of my shortest one-shot. I think this is just a drabble. I'm not sure. And I know it's a day late but hey, health comes first, right? Update for She's in Your Court will be postponed since I'm focusing on Gruvia Week. Don't forget to leave me a review, alrighty? See yah!


	13. GRUVIA WEEK Day 5: Sounds

**GRUVIA WEEK 2016  
** **DAY 5: SOUNDS  
** **Modern Neighbors AU  
** PAIRING: GRAY X JUVIA  
SERIES: FAIRY TAIL

 ** _Thump. Thump. Thump._**

Juvia had been hearing these sounds the last few months.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

Followed by some _other_ sounds Juvia's town-girl innocence could only imagine.

* * *

Juvia Lockser just moved from a small place called Oak Town. Since the first time she picked up pen and paper, Juvia had always dreamed of making it in the Big City. So after a few months had passed, without looking back, the aspiring writer left everything behind and moved to the City of Dreams.

Well, City of _Broken_ Dreams. And Lights. And Heaters. And Showerheads. And almost every furniture. And now to the city of thin walls too.

The girl with the beautiful blue locks quickly regretted zeroing her bank account for the sublet one-bedroom unit on her very first night in Magnolia. Not only were the lights seldom worked, the thermostat was moody too. The showerhead in her bathroom was so afraid of commitments that it'd detach itself and hit her in the head. She could not even fully flush her toilet. But Juvia stayed. She had no choice. It was the only unit she could afford.

So, even if her next-door neighbor's raucous activities kept her up all night, the bluenette did not complain. She sucked it all up. Juvia was not a whiner. Not even when the previous night's thumping caused her a small bump on the head. She made a mistake of hanging her family photos above her bed's dashboard.

Good thing she had her writing to occupy her.

HIS EXPERT HAND TRAVELLED UP AND INSIDE HER RED TIGHT SKIRT. THE WOMAN IN THE RED HALTER DRESS MOANED AGAINST HIS WARM LIPS. SHE, TOO, LET HER HANDS WANDER. HIS AWESOME BODY

"Awesome?! That's the best you got?" Juvia scolded herself. She deleted the last two words on her computer and searched for something better than 'awesome'.

HIS HOT BODY

"Really? You're going for hot?"

HIS HARDENED BODY

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

HIS HARDENED BODY AGAINST

HIS HARDENED BODY AGAINST HER PALM WAS

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

"Oh that's it!"

Juvia snapped. She just lost her train of thought. Her frustrations for the last few months boiled inside her and exploded. The deadline for her first draft was set the next day and her arse of an editor, a not-so-good and not-so-famous bald old man, was pressuring her to revise and put, in his words, _steamy hot F-word_ scenes in it. The aspiring writer had no idea how to write down a _steamy hot…_ something scenes. She could not even say it!

"I had it with that jerk!"

Juvia marched over to her neighbor's and banged on the door. Making sure he knew she was furious.

No one answered.

The restless bluenette banged on the door again, thrice. She crossed her arms against her chest and tapped her foot against the floor in an impatient tune. Still, no answer. Juvia was about to kick the door open when a devilishly good-looking man popped out behind it. Boy, he did not look happy.

"What?"

Juvia lost her voice. The image in front of her was hard to process. The man stood tall, his lean frame stopping the door behind him to close. His jet-black hair was wet and ruffled; shoulders broad like an athlete's and abs just begging to be worshipped.

 _Awesome. Hot. Hardened body._

Juvia caught her breath in her throat. He wore nothing but a clean, white towel covering _that_ area. It was only a glance but she was sure there was a bulge.

"Who is it?"

A voice came from behind the young man.

"Oh. Hi!"

Strangely, the owner of the voice was fully-clothed. She stepped over the young man and introduced herself.

"Are you a friend of Gray?"

 _So, Gray was his name._

It took some time before Juvia found her voice again.

"Ah… I-I'm… I live next door."

"Really? Why don't you come in? Gray, let the beautiful lady in."

"Ahmmm…" There was hesitation. Which earned a quizzical look from Gray's company.

"What?"

"Hello!" Gray said in a tone that sounded like a 'duh', spreading his arms open to present and imply his current condition.

"Put on some clothes." The woman retorted, the 'duh' implied.

Gray raised his hands in surrender and walked back inside the apartment. His lady company followed behind, dragging the confused bluenette with her. Juvia knew it was going to be awkward but the woman was really insistent, leaving her with no choice. So, she sat in the middle of the couch, feeling so small next to the gorgeous dark eyes.

"Sorry about Gray's manners. I guess that's my fault. I dropped him many times when he was a baby. By the way, I'm Ultear."The nice woman offered her hand but it was holding a hammer. Which surprised and slightly intrigued Juvia. What exactly were they doing with a hammer?

"Sorry about that." She casually swapped the tool to her free hand. "I'm Gray's older sister."

 _Older sister._

It was only then that Juvia noticed her long, jet-black hair.

"Juvia." The bluenette offered her name with a smile.

"So what do you do, Juvia?"

"I-I'm actually a writer."

"Wow. A writer? Anything I might have read?"

"Well, I'm just on my first book."

Ultear leaned closer, all interested.

"Can you tell me what's it about?"

"I can't. I'm sorry." Juvia sheepishly smiled.

"That's okay." Ultear reassured her, tapping a friendly hand on her knee.

"You know, Gray's a journalist."

"Really?" The bluenette was genuinely surprised. She never pegged the man to be a journalist.

"Well, yeah. He's a photo-journalist." The older between the two women cackled. "Ha. That man can't even write a single paragraph."

"You girls bonding?" Gray came out of his room and joined the girls, wearing a sexy v-neck. Drying his hair with a towel.

"At your expense, yes."

The women giggled.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny."

 _Not._

"So, what brought you here?"

Juvia was such in a hurry to come over next-door that she did not think through what she was going to say.

"Well… it's just…" The bluenette nervously tiptoed around broken glass.

"You see…" She shifted in her seat. "Ah… That's. The reason I..."

"Oh, is it because of this?" Ultear raised the carpentry tool in her hand. "Was I too loud?"

"Well…"

"I was just fixing Gray's bed. I don't know how this guy breaks his bed."

Juvia had an idea.

"Why are you suddenly so red? Did I say something that made you uncomfortable?"

Blue eyes took a peek at the man in question. She got caught staring. Juvia wanted to look away but Gray's intense, dark eyes kept her to where she was, a glint of mischief flickered behind them. Then, she watched his lips curve into a devilish, knowing smile.

"Well, I-I g-g-guess I should go." Juvia quickly stood from the seat and dashed to the door.

Ultear called out for her.

"You come back here later, okay? We're having a party."

"A party?"

"Yes. It's Gray's birthday."

Juvia heard the sound again but it was no longer coming from the other room. It was closer. The drumming sound was coming from inside her chest.

 ** _Thump. Thump. Thump._**

* * *

A/N: As promised, here's day 5. :D Like I said, I refuse to not finish Gruvia Week 2016. I know it's not too original but hey I hope you like it! And sexy, half-naked, devilish good-looking neighbor is my weakness.


	14. GRUVIA WEEK Day 6: Fear

**GRUVIA WEEK 2016  
** **DAY 6: FEAR  
** **Modern Airport AU  
** PAIRING: GRAY X JUVIA  
SERIES: FAIRY TAIL

 **A/N** : _Italized_ text means flashback.

 _ **If there was one thing Gray Fullbuster hated,**_ it was people who did not know the value of time. People who waste it by just letting time pass, by just _killing_ it.

"Time is money." He'd say. It was a little cliché but Gray stood by it.

So he'd hate himself if he was going to miss his flight to New York.

Gray checked the time on his gold Rolex. It was thirty after four. He needed to be in the airport in about thirty minutes and the traffic was not helping. The raven-haired impatiently checked his watch again. As if doing so was going to make time fly faster. Seeing there was no movement in traffic, Gray just heaved a long and deep breath.

"What's causing the delay, Mr. Wakaba?"

There was something about how he said it that made Wakaba's hair on his neck stand at its end. Leveled and cold. The loyal secretary watched his master through the rear-view mirror. As he had thought, Gray still had the morning news in his hands. However, he knew that behind the open newspaper was a young master running out of patience. Gray hated delays, after all.

What set Gray apart from other businessmen from his generation was his ability to keep his composure. His professional demeanor and impassive expressions made it hard to read him. Which scared the hell out of Wakaba. Gray was unpredictable and so was his silence. Like the calm before the storm. You would never know what hit you.

"Hey! Hurry up, will ya?"

Wakaba rolled down the window in panic. He popped his head out and barked. That's when he noticed a white pick-up being pulled up on the side of the road and an officer trying to guide back the flow of traffic.

"Oh. There was a minor accident, Sir. No one seems to be hurt."

Wakaba swore he had a mini heart-attack when he heard the rustle of the paper. Gray put away his Business Weekly. The young tycoon propped his fisted hand under his chin and stared through the car's window. The middle-aged secretary flinched when he heard his young master heave out an audible sigh. For the years that he worked in the Fullbuster household, Wakaba was already aware of few of Gray's little mannerisms. He could go as far as to say he knew the young master very well. If the sighing meant anything, it was a warning of Gray's declining tolerance.

"Finally!" Wakaba celebrated when the red Camry before him started to move forward. He quickly followed behind.

Gray looked at his watch the third time and returned his gaze to the window. The line of cars moving in a snail pace did not interest him. Not even the pulled-up car on the side of the road that caused him his golden ten minutes. He gave the surrounding a bored look. His passive eyes passed the hair with the rare shade of blue standing next to the man in uniform.

* * *

Wakaba brushed off the sweat that formed on his eyebrows. He sighed with relief once the car arrived in front of the Narita Airport. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, popped the trunk and grabbed his master's suitcase. He was in time to see the young master out of the car and checking his wrist watch, _again_.

Gray took the luggage from his driver-bodyguard and quickly dismissed him. He would have had him carry the luggage for him but he had arms and legs that work. So, with his suitcase in hand, Gray made a beeline to the check-in counter.

The nice service agent greeted him with familiarity.

"Good morning, Mr. Fullbuster."

Gray greeted back with a small smile.

"Hand-carry I suppose, Sir?"

The pleasant lady only received another small smile as a response. Which greatly disappointed her. She didn't show it. She was used to it. Mira, as written on her nametag, knew Mr. Fullbuster was a man of few words.

Gray was a frequent flyer. Since he hated waiting in line for the baggage carousel to deliver his case, he always preferred hand-carry.

The pretty ticketing agent stamped his seat number on his boarding pass and returned it to Gray.

"Have a safe flight, Mr. Fullbuster."

"Thanks."

"Good afternoon passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 413D to New York City…" The beautiful voice rang over the speakers.

Gray pulled his carry-on luggage and made his way to the waiting area. As he passed by a newsstand, the young businessman scanned the titles and picked up one he liked. Then, he strode along the terminal. His sole focus was on the task at hand that he did not notice the breathless bluenette who just arrived at Narita.

Juvia had to stop in her tracks to catch her breath. She merely evened it when the young bluenette raced again to the check-in counter, dragging her suitcase behind her.

"Made it!"

Juvia surprised the young blonde behind the counter when she slapped her ticket in front of her. The blonde with the crisp suit, whose name tag said she was Lucy and happy to help, gave her a nervous smile. Nevertheless, she took Juvia's boarding pass, stamped a number on it and returned the same to her. All while watching the bluenette sweat and nervously laugh in between pants.

"Thank you. Ahmmm…" Juvia looked around. "Where's the way to my departure area?"

Lucy pointed her to the boarding gate.

"Thanks! It's Juvia's first time flying international."

"Oh. Then have a good flight Ms…" Lucy searched the boarding pass for her name. "Ms. Lockser."

"I sure will. Thank you!"

Juvia pulled her suitcase and footed it in. She found an old couple seating on the nearest bleacher and introduced herself. The excited bluenette invited herself to sit next to them and was welcomed with warm pair of smiles.

"Juvia-chan has a lovely name." Said the older woman who seemed too fond of the exuberant youngster.

In the middle of their fun sharing, a sudden urgency came upon Juvia. She excused herself to the ladies room and asked the couple to look out for her suitcase. Juvia came back in time for the first boarding call. A pang of nervousness hit her when she saw the other travelers herded to the vestibule. She rushed over to the bleachers where she left her suitcase with the couple and found it empty. Her nervousness turned to panic.

"Oh no!" She cried.

A woman's voice spilled over the surround system, repeating her final boarding call.

Juvia cried _no_ a number of times. Her alarmed blue eyes frantically searched the area paired with her equally frantic heartbeat. It was Juvia's first time flying international and she had stumbled on extraordinary circumstances that day. The thought that maybe it was a sign that she should not leave the country crossed her mind. She almost gave in to that thought until a sliver of hope appeared in the corner of her eye – in the form of her electric blue suitcase.

Juvia almost jumped in happiness when she found her suitcase next to the bleacher near where she stood. She was about to run and grab it when someone had beaten her to it. Juvia got confused. The man now pulling her blue trolley was not Grandpa from earlier. No. The man was a lot younger and taller than Gramps. He wore a black, expensive-looking suit; the total opposite of Gramps colorful Hawaiian polo shirt. When she realized the apparent difference, Juvia panicked. The man was stealing her luggage! She pursued the thief and pulled the back of his suit.

"Hey! What's the big idea?"

"That's mine."

"What?"

"That luggage is mine."

As the strange woman kept on insisting her claim, the initial surprise that registered on the thief's face turned into annoyance.

"This?" He shook the luggage by its handle. "This is yours?" The man spoke in a slow manner that made Juvia feel stupid.

"Well, yes."

When the storm calmed, Juvia noticed the good looks the man had. His black, pushed-back hair, his determined midnight eyes and his enticing rosy lips. Blue curious eyes lingered longer on his enticing lips.

"I'm sorry miss but I think you are mistaken."

"What? No." Juvia pushed all the thoughts she had about his good looks. She grabbed the trolley from his hand but the man's quick reflexes hid it away from her.

"Give it back or I'm… I'm… I'm calling the airport police."

The young man was genuinely confused.

"Airport police?" He scoffed.

"Yeah! I'm calling the airport police. Help! Everyone, help!" She pointed at the culprit. "This man! This man is stealing my belongings. He's a thief!"

Juvia alerted the airport's security with her scandalous screaming. Even though people at the airport stared at him, the _suitcase-stealer_ remained unfazed.

Officers in uniform immediately responded to the call.

"There officer! That man. That man is stealing my luggage!" Juvia pointed an accusing finger at the young man in the suit. She was relating to the nice officers her story when an old couple approached her.

"Juvia-chan." The old woman whispered. "Here is your luggage."

Blue confused eyes darted back and forth to the suitcase held by the thief and the identical one beside the old couple. Realization struck her like lightning. She turned to the man in the suit with eyes guilty and apologetic.

"We apologize for this, Mr. Fullbuster." The two officers in uniform separated to give way for Gray Fullbuster. "Please enjoy your flight, Sir."

"Thank you, gentlemen."

The two men in uniform turned to the now embarrassed bluenette. They stood side by side to block her.

"I am very sorry, officers."

She hung her head low in shame.

* * *

The flight attendant helped Gray put his electric blue suitcase in the overhead bin and ushered him to his seat in the business class. He settled in quickly, opened his newspaper and picked up where he left off. It would be usual for Gray to drown in his readings. That day, however, a ruckus coming from the back easily ruined his concentration. He ignored it and went back to the business article. But every time he tried to start on a sentence, the noise just keep pulling him back in. He was surprised to see that the cause of the commotion was the same woman who accused him of being a suitcase-stealer back at the airport. Unfortunately, her seat was next to his.

"Uh…"

Juvia could not find a word to say. The whole embarrassing experience rendered her speechless. She made a big scene and dragged an innocent man with her idiocy. So, she stood in the middle isle, staring stupidly at the man she just called a thief. She wasn't entirely sure what to do next until the flight attendant asked her to take her seat. Juvia quietly slipped in and sat in between Gray and some stranger. There was no point being too nervous since Gray just gave her the cold shoulder.

"I'm really sorry about earlier." She apologized in a small voice. "It was a really honest mistake."

"Forget about it." Gray said nonchalantly. He did not even look at her. His eyes were trained on the feature he was reading since earlier.

Juvia, feeling even guiltier because of the man's silence and dead tone, fidgeted in her seat. A tall and beautiful flight attendant pushing a cart of peanuts was coming over their row. An idea hit her.

"Peanuts, Ma'am?"

Juvia nodded.

"How about you, Sir?"

Juvia immediately snagged the bag, answering for Gray instead. The elegant lady dismissed the oddity of the act and pushed the cart to the next row.

"Here. Let me make it up to you." Juvia gestured to open the bag but Gray snatched it from her hands. He hated it when people made him feel useless.

"It's okay. I got it."

"No. Let me do it for you."

"It's really okay Miss. Just let me do it."

The two engaged in a silly game of tug-of-war.

"Let me make it up for earlier."

"I said you don't have… see what you did?"

Gray raised his voice. The bag broke with its contents scattering all over. Some even got to his pants. Juvia apologized endlessly. She helped him brush off the nuts between his legs despite Gray's obvious objection.

"I'm really sorry, Mister."

Gray had a little panic when Juvia's helping hands were going directions he did not welcome. She was entering dangerous territory and the raven-haired could already feel his pants tightening. Afraid he could not live down the consequences of this embarrassment, Gray grabbed both her hands and kept them away from his danger zone.

Juvia froze in surprise, her round blue eyes locking with Gray's. She stared at them long enough to notice that his eyes were actually blue, like hers, only darker.

"Please."

Gray leaned in closer to whisper.

"Just stop making up for it."

They both broke apart and settled back to their seats. Gray finished cleaning himself up and returned to the article he just could not finish reading. He moved a little to give himself some space from the blue-haired woman. (And to calm himself.) He peeked to his left behind his newspaper and noticed the shade of Juvia's hair. Gray's mind flew back to the woman in traffic earlier. It seemed like he was seeing a lot of this woman, whoever she was, and causing a lot of trouble for him. She was just all kinds of annoying.

* * *

Two hours in on the flight and Juvia easily dozed off. Gray did not know when exactly. He didn't care. He had folded his newspaper aside earlier and moved to his iPad. He reviewed a few contracts and proposals which Wakaba downloaded for him in his gadget. The success of the meeting in New York was crucial for the expansion of his automobile business. He prepared the PowerPoint and would be presenting it himself. He did a run-through of it again before turning off his iPad. The flight from Tokyo to New York City took almost more than half a day, so he gathered all his work-belongings and decided to take some shut-eye.

Gray's view turned pitch black as soon as he put on his eye-mask. His rest was cut short, however, when he felt sudden short quakes. He immediately took off the mask but it did little to no help. Gray started to have this sick feeling stir inside him as he felt his whole body tremble. The shaking was caused by a small turbulence. The seatbelt icon lighted up as the plane experienced another. This one lasted longer than the first. Gray clutched his arm-rests rather too tightly. He clutched on them so hard he did not feel they were already hurting him. The sick feeling made its way up to his chest, tightening it. His heart pounded hard in his ribcage as the memories of years ago flooded his mind. The images were blurred and ambiguous and were less terrifying. Unlike when he was younger when it felt like he was reliving the horror. Seeing shrinks and going to therapies helped. It did not totally erase the memories but helped suppress them. Sometimes, however, certain things trigger these memories and they find their way back to his present.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is your Captain speaking."

The color on his face slowly returned only when the shaking finally stopped. The woman in her left stirred awake.

"What happened?"

"We are experiencing a little turb-." The captain's message was cut short when the plane took a hit mid-air.

Gray froze. His grip on the arm-rests was tighter than before. He shut his eyes close but it only worsened the chunks of memory that rolled in his mind like a film. So, he opened them again. Gray thought the minimal shaking was just the first wave of a very strong turbulence coming up ahead. He started hyperventilating.

"You know, this is my first time flying international."

He could barely look at the owner of the voice, the woman beside him.

"It's my first time to see New York too! Is it really beautiful out there? Do you travel a lot?"

Gray's hands slowly stopped trembling. He felt an urge to answer all her questions. Slowly, his demons crawled back to their cage. Gray turned to the woman beside him and she flashed him a comforting smile. Like she knew what he was going through. She offered him her name and kept telling him about the places she wanted to visit. Gray usually hated distractions but this was a distraction he welcomed. He listened to her intently. Suddenly, she was a good kind of annoying.

Gray was starting to feel at ease when a fourth turbulence hit the Boeing again. It was stronger than its predecessors and appeared to be worse too. Gray could hear the shaking. The seat-belt icon kept glowing. Instead of the cold handle, Gray found himself grasping at something soft and warm. He turned to see Juvia holding his hand. Confusion flashed across his pale face. He was about to pull his hand away when the plane suddenly dropped a few feet. Gray gripped at Juvia's hand. A cry of surprise, and probably fear, erupted from the passengers. He sweated bullets. The fear, coupled by the tragic memory, was coming back to him fast like a bullet train. Gray fought hard to push it back where it belonged – in the forgotten abyss of his subconscious.

"It's going to be okay." Juvia whispered, placing a comforting hand on his arm.

Gray found warmth from a total stranger. He gripped Juvia's hand like he was holding for his dear life. Juvia did not seem to mind. So, he gripped it tighter, never letting go.

The plane goes round and Gray could feel his weight shifting to the other side. He was glad he wasn't near any windows. The turbulence wasn't going to stop any time soon. Prayers were said. Colors drained. There were no smiles and no flight attendants going around saying everything's going to be okay. They were probably strapped to their own seats. The craft rattled and bounced up and down. Gray thought it would go on forever.

It didn't.

The aircraft stabilized and Gray's grip loosened. He fully let go of Juvia's hand only when the captain came on the speakers and apologized. They were promised better weather, an uneventful flight and a safe arrival at John F. Kennedy. The experienced Captain was thanked with a celebratory applause.

A few hours had passed and Gray was still silent. His heartbeat had slowed down and his color returned to normal. His hands were free. He stared at his left armrest where his hand was next to the stranger's, barely touching. The ghost of her warmth haunted him and a need to feel them rekindled. Without thought, he easily complied. Slowly and cautiously, his hand reached for hers, starting with his little finger, the one closest to Juvia's. He took his time. Like that few seconds that lead up to a kiss, he allowed this moment to take its natural course. When their hands finally touched, she turned to him. She turned to him with a look that was neither distasted nor questioning. Rather, it was a soft gaze filled with something that began great stories – _friendship._

* * *

The plane landed earlier than expected despite the changes in the weather and the crosswinds that shook the 77 Boeing. The passengers celebrated as soon as the announcement of their arrival was made over the speakers. They unmounted the metal tube one by one while they greet the attendants when they pass them by. Gray helped Juvia get her luggage from the overhead bin and together they strolled around the airport, passing time.

Juvia was to stay with a friend who was supposed to pick her up. Gray offered to wait with her and she gladly accepted. He led Juvia to one of the Starbucks inside the airport. They talked. About the coffee. The good weather in New York. The strangers passing them by. Nothing and everything. It was not until Juvia's friend came and picked her up that they separated. If Gray was being honest, it saddened him a little. But they promised to get in touch, a promise he would hold onto.

* * *

Gray asked the bellboy to place his luggage next to the dresser. He walked out and into the veranda. New York's weather was good for his taste. It was neither too hot nor too cold. Just the signature New York morning. The loud cars in the backed-up traffic pulled his attention below him. The good distance between him and the pavement made Gray feel slightly dizzy. He stayed on the sixty-eight floor of the Marriot, like usual. The common sensation of falling overwhelmed his senses yet his dark eyes never left the traffic.

Everyone was afraid of something, even gods and kings. We were all afraid to lose something – wealth, power, love. Fear was simply a reminder of life's mortality. That nothing or _no one_ could last forever.

Slowly, the crash from twenty years ago was trying to creep out of its pit. He was only seven when the tragedy took away his mother from him. Gray felt the dark past begin to paralyze him. He struggled to cage them again. They fought hard. His hands grasped on the veranda's railings as a heavy feeling gripped his whole being. Gray took a deep breath to relax himself. _One. Two. Three_. He counted. … _Four. Five._

" _When I get nervous or scared before doing something big, I just count to ten"._

Gray remembered the words of a certain bluenette.

" _It helps take your mind off of it."_

He remembered her friendly blue eyes. _Six. Seven._

" _Try it. Just count to ten."_

 _Eight. Nine. Ten._

Gray slowly opened his eyes. He loosened his hold on the railings and straightened up from his hunched position. He stared at his hands. The comfort of Juvia's hand was still there. The genuine smile she offered him was forever etched in his memory. It painted one on his own lips too. He was glad he had good memories to replace the bad ones. It wasn't going to be quick and easy but he would forget about the accident and think of the friendly bluenette from then on.

Gray walked back into his room. He took his luggage and placed it on his made-up bed. When he unzipped the luggage, however, it was not his usual folded black boxers and clean white shirts tucked and arranged neatly in a row that greeted him. Instead, there was a parade of colored female intimates in place of his personal effects. Amused chuckle escaped his lips. He guessed he was going to see her sooner than expected.

* * *

A/N: Wow. That was long. And late. I don't know what happened. But see? I have you a lot of stuff right there. Mira flirting/subtly flirting with Gray. Don't you guys wanna see that? Juvia-Lucy almost moment. Tell me what you think, alright? Comment down there!


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